| The Cooper
Temple Clause |
| Background information |
| Origin |
 Wokingham,
Berkshire, England |
| Genre(s) |
Alternative
rock
New
prog |
| Years active |
1998–2007 |
| Label(s) |
Sanctuary |
| Website |
Official
website |
| Former members |
Tom
Bellamy
Daniel
Fisher
Ben
Gautrey
Jon
Harper
Kieran
Mahon
Didz Hammond |
The Cooper Temple Clause were a five-piece Alternative
rock band
originating from Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Formed
in 1998, the band quickly gained a following through their live
concerts, and have produced three albums, the latest being "Make
This Your Own". The band split up on April 24, 2007, following the departure of Daniel Fisher.
|
Contents
- 1 History
- 1.1 See
This Through And Leave
- 1.2 Kick
Up The Fire, And Let The Flames Break Loose
- 1.3 Didz
Hammond's departure
- 1.4 Make
This Your Own
- 1.5 The
Split
- 2 Influences
- 3 Members
- 4 Discography
- 4.1 Albums
- 4.2 Singles
and EPs
- 5 External
links
|
History
After signing a record deal with the RCA
label in 2000 and putting out several singles and EPs,
their debut album See This Through and Leave
was released in 2002 to great critical acclaim. 2003's follow-up, Kick
Up the Fire, and Let the Flames Break Loose,
achieved the band international recognition on the strength of the
singles "Promises, Promises" and "Blind
Pilots". The Cooper Temple Clause left RCA in 2006, signing to Sanctuary
Records for the release of their third album Make
This Your Own.
See This Through And
Leave
The band's debut album, See This Through And Leave
was released on February 11, 2002. Three singles were released from the
album; "Let's Kill Music", the double-A
side "Film-Maker // Been
Training Dogs", and "Who Needs Enemies?". The album
was released on CD, limited edition double CD, international CD and a
7" boxed set, along with 2 promo CDs. The Limited edition double CD
contained 3 extra songs and live versions of Panzer Attack and Let's
Kill Music. It was well received by critics and reached number 28 in
the UK charts.
Kick Up The Fire, And
Let The Flames Break Loose
Following only a year after See This Through And Leave, The
Cooper Temple Clause released their second album Kick
Up The Fire, And Let The Flames Break Loose on September
8, 2003. The
songs were better-produced and the album had a different style to it,
increasingly incorporating electronic sounds into tracks. The strength
of it's two singles, "Promises, Promises" and "Blind
Pilots" achieved the band international recognition, with "Promises,
Promises" reaching number 19 on the UK charts. The album was hailed by
fans and critics alike and reached number 5 in the UK charts, the
highest position the band would ever achieve.
Didz Hammond's departure
In September 2005, bassist Didz
Hammond left the band to join ex-Libertine
Carl
Barât in the band Dirty Pretty Things.
The Cooper Temple Clause issued a statement on their official website
confirming Didz's departure:
- Dear fans and friends of The Cooper Temple Clause, it is
with much regret that we must inform you all of Didz Hammond's
departure from The Cooper Temple Clause. Though the news saddens us as
much as we are sure it does you, we feel it is important to reassure
everyone that things ended amicably and there is no bad feelings
between anyone concerned. A brother has left the family home, though he
shall never leave the family. We extend to him our love and wish him
the best, and hope all of you can join us in lending him your support
for the future.
However Didz is credited as playing bass on two of Make This
Your Own's eleven tracks; Damage and What Have You Gone And Done.
Make This Your Own
After many setbacks including a change in record label, and
the loss of Didz Hammond, the band's third album was significantly
delayed. It was finally released on January 22, 2007 and entitled Make
This Your Own. It included the singles "Damage",
"Homo Sapiens", "Waiting Game"
and "Head". The album saw Daniel Fisher and Tom Bellamy having a
greater role in vocals, and featured fewer electronic influences than
the previous album.
The Split
The band announced they had split up in late April 2007,
following Dan's decision to leave. The band had been due to headline
the AKG Unsigned Heroes gig at London's KOKO
in Camden
later in the same week. During the week prior to the official split,
the band had been schedueled to perform at Underworld and Dingwalls as
part of the Camden Crawl. These two appearances were cancelled,
however, with the band citing exhaustion as the reason. It is not clear
whether the split was also a factor in the cancellations. The following
post was made on the band's website, announcing the split:
"It is with a sad and heavy heart that I must announce that
The Cooper Temple Clause have decided to split up.
Last week I informed the rest of the boys that I would be
leaving the band. As I hope you will all be able to understand, it was
perhaps the most difficult decision I have ever had to make. When the
only life you have ever known is that of your five best friends and the
music you make, the thought of leaving that life is not one to be
considered lightly and I assure you all that the decision was not an
easy one to make. Nonetheless, it was something I felt I had to do. I
can only apologise from the bottom of my heart for the disappointment
this will undoubtedly cause many of you.
In the wake of this decision the rest of the boys agreed to
call it a day and pursue other interests. Friendships are well and
truly intact and the love very much remains within the camp.
We would like to take this moment to thank all of you for your
support over the years and the love and acceptance you have shown us.
It has been an honour to be your servants, for that is what we have
been. A band is nothing without its fans, without the people who come
to the shows, buy the albums and make us feel that we're not alone in
the world, that there are other people out there who see the world as
we do in all its wonder and absurdity. People can say what they like
about The Cooper Temple Clause, but the unswerving loyalty and
dedication of you guys, the ones who really matter, can never be called
into question. From the very beginning you have shone brighter than we
could have ever hoped, from the street teams to the forum
administrators, from those of you who saw us in the Bull and Gate to
those who made the earth shake at Fuji Rock on the other side of the
world; we thank you all, each and every one of you. When we stood as
children in front of our mirrors brandishing tennis rackets and singing
into upturned golf clubs, never did we imagine the fantastic adventure
we would embark upon thanks to you, the greatest fans in the world. We
can only hope that we touched your hearts as much as you have ours.
Take heart and carry on, dear Team. Never be afraid to be
yourselves, to be individuals, to fly in the face of common sense and
listen to your hearts, to do it your own way. We made a bunch of
albums. We played a bunch of shows. We met a bunch of people who
changed our lives forever.
We love you all.
Thank you so much. Yours, in absence of a cheesy line from one
of our own songs to end this post,
Dan
The Cooper Temple Clause
Influences
The Cooper Temple Clause had been associated by some with the
revival of prog-rock,
although their influences also included the post-hardcore
style of At the Drive-In, as well as the
typical 1990s-era Britpop
sound of bands such as Blur and Oasis.
Additionally, the band had been increasingly incorporating electronic
music into their sound and cited Radiohead as a major influence.
The Cooper Temple Clause used and experimented with many
different instruments, forming a unique part of their sound.
Members
- Tom Bellamy -
Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer, Keyboard, Trumpet, Programming, Samples,
Melodica, Harmonica, Percussion, Toy Piano, Bow, Decks, FX/Beats,
Vocals & Lyrics.
- Daniel Fisher
- Guitar, Bass, Vocals & Lyrics.
- Ben Gautrey -
Guitar, Bass, Keyboards & Vocals.
- Jon Harper -
Drums, Gretsch Drums, DW Snares, Sabian Cymbals, Percussion &
Backing Vocals.
- Kieran Mahon -
Keyboard, Piano, Synthesizer, Organ, Hammond Organ, Farfisa, Guitar,
Bass & Backing Vocals.
- Didz Hammond -
Bass, Synthesizer, Samples, Vocoder, Guitar & Vocals. (Left
2005)
Discography
Albums
Singles and EPs
| Date |
Title (UK chart placing) |
| July 2000 |
Crayon Demos |
| March 2001 |
The Hardware EP |
| March 2001 |
Way Out West |
| June 2001 |
The Warfare EP |
| July 2001 |
Hardware EP + Warfare EP |
| September 2001 |
Let's Kill Music (41) |
| January 2002 |
Film-Maker // Been
Training Dogs (20) |
| May 2002 |
Who Needs Enemies? (22) |
| September 2002 |
A.I.M. |
| September 2003 |
Promises, Promises (19) |
| November 2003 |
Blind Pilots (37) |
| May 2006 |
Damage |
| October 2006 |
Homo Sapiens (36) |
| January 2007 |
Waiting Game (41) |
| April 2007 |
Head (183) |
External links
| The
Cooper Temple Clause |
| Tom
Bellamy | Dan Fisher | Ben
Gautrey | Jon Harper | Kieran
Mahon |
| Didz
Hammond |
| Discography |
| Albums:
See This Through and Leave
| Kick
Up the Fire, and Let the Flames Break Loose | Make
This Your Own |
| Extended
plays: The
Hardware EP | The
Warfare EP | The Hardware EP +
The Warfare EP | Head EP |
| Singles:
"Way Out West" | "Let's
Kill Music" | "Film-Maker // Been
Training Dogs" | "Who Needs Enemies?" | "A.I.M."
| "Promises, Promises" | "Blind
Pilots" | "Damage" | "Homo
Sapiens" | "Waiting Game" |
| Related
articles |
| Post-hardcore
| Rhysmix |
|
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