Tom, Kieran, 'Fish', Ben, Jon and Didz released 3 studio albums and a number of EPs and singles during their 9 year existence, of which 'Blind Pilots' was the most successful charting. with members going on to join Dirty Pretty Things, Rhysmix, and other projects.
The band first got together in 1998. Using a farmhouse turned into a studio on the outskirts of Wokingham, United Kingdom, it took the Cooper Temple Clause almost two years to record their debut album ‘See This Through And Leave’. An intense rock record, unafraid of challenging listeners and genres, it ignored scenes and fashion.
By the release of second album ‘Kick Up The Fire, Let The Flames Break Loose’ in 2003 - named after a Philip Larkin poem, again recorded reclusively in Reading, and with the minimum of record company interference - Team Cooper had become an army capable of breaking into the Top Twenty without the need for crossover radio support or heavy rotation videos. Gigs were riotous devotionals, particularly those on the UK tour with The Libertines. They played one triumphant US headline tour and a second set of arena dates in support of The Cure.
Then 2004 saw a shake-up at RCA leaving TCTC without an A&R man and with a new, unfamiliar set of faces and ears in charge who hadn’t grown up with, and therefore didn’t quite ‘get’, their isolationist methods and slash and burn musical direction. So, as the ‘Kick Up The Fire…’ campaign wound to a close there began a period of uncertainty and miscommunication between band and label. The Coopers once more holed up in their Reading pig farm to record demos for third album ‘Make This Your Own’ with long-term producer Dan Austin. After 12 uncertain months, eventually RCA re-signed the band and sent TCTC into the studio with ex-Adam & The Ants man Chris Hughes at the desk. He encouraged the band to return to their roots, when all six would swap instruments for each song and also share singing duties.
The final result 'Make This Your Own' was intended as both a commercial hit and a chance to bring ideas touched on in early B-sides and demos to fruition. Opening in familiar dancefloor rock territory with the anti-music industry rant ‘Damage’, it soon swerves into unmapped musical sectors often utterly unrecognisable as a Cooper Temple Clause record.
Gone was the majority of the electronic bells and whistles in the background, relegated to B-sides. There’s radio-friendly emo pop (mostly Fisher-sung songs ‘What Have You Gone And Done’ and ‘Waiting Game’), soulful Dears-gone-Erasure tunes (mostly Tom-sung tracks ‘Connect’ and ‘Isn’t It Strange’), Lilac Time cool folk (‘Take Comfort’), laptop blip-rock (‘Once More With Feeling’) and dark 80s krautonica (‘Head’) on here. Inevitably, many fans and indeed RCA were not quite sure what to make of the Nu Coopers realm. At the same time TCTC were still reeling from the unexpected departure of bassist, new dad and mental crowd-surfing nutjob Didz Hammond to join Carl Barât’s new band Dirty Pretty Things, whose contributions to 'Damage', 'Homo Sapiens', and 'Once More With Feeling' were still used 2 years after his departure.
After two years with no new material, the fanbase were enthusiastic for an internet-only release of ‘Damage’ in summer 2005. Some months later the band were signed to Sanctuary Records; 'Make This Your Own' finally appeared 2 years late in early 2007, preceded by Homo Sapiens and nearly a year after it had leaked to fans. The album and its singles flopped in comparison to the chart storming and arguably more challengingly creative KUTFALTFBL.
The band announced they would be going their separate ways on 24th April 2007, with Tom continuing his DJing side projects Rhysmix and Losers.
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)
Amber
The Cooper Temple Clause Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody heard
The pin didn't drop it came and crashed down
Then there was the time I couldn't walk
Everybody laughed
So entertaining was this breakdown
Turn and face the walls
Eyes to the floor
I'm merely sinking
Then there was the time I couldn't see
Blind as a bat for drink and easy laughs
A terrible time
But keep it in mind
You can't tell your friends man 'cause this shit is mine
Turn and face the wall
I'm only drinking
Eyes to the floor
I'm merely sinking
So leave me alone
And why does it have to get like this?
It always seems to get like this
Well I never meant to get like this
Every night
The Cooper Temple Clause's song Amber is a hauntingly introspective piece that deals with the pain and confusion of addiction. In the song, the singer recalls the various times in their life when their addiction was at its worst and how it affected their ability to communicate, move, and perceive their surroundings. The lyrics "Remember the time I couldn't speak, Everybody heard, The pin didn't drop it came and crashed down" highlight the moment when the singer's addiction became evident to everyone around them, and they were unable to keep it hidden any longer. The following lyrics, "Then there was the time I couldn't walk, Everybody laughed, So entertaining was this breakdown," show how the situation became a source of amusement for others, adding to the singer's feeling of isolation and desperation. The singer turns inward, lost in their own self-destructive habits, drinking to numb the pain, and sinking further into their own despair.
The lyrics are poignant and revealing, and too many, it is a reflection of their own struggles with addiction. The song explores the various themes of addiction, including denial, isolation, and despair. The lyrics are truthful, raw, and unapologetic, showing how addiction can affect even those who seem to have it all together. The song's haunting melody, melancholic guitar riffs, and the almost pleading tone of the vocals all add to the overall sense of sadness and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Remember the time I couldn't speak
I recall a moment when I was unable to articulate my thoughts
Everybody heard
Everyone was witness to my inability to speak
The pin didn't drop it came and crashed down
It wasn't just a silent moment, it was a loud and obvious failure
Then there was the time I couldn't walk
I also experienced a time where I couldn't physically move
Everybody laughed
Others found my struggle amusing
So entertaining was this breakdown
My difficulty brought others delight
Turn and face the walls
I retreat inwardly and try to ignore my surroundings
I'm only drinking
I'm resorting to alcohol as a coping mechanism
Eyes to the floor
I can't face the world around me
I'm merely sinking
I feel myself slipping away
Then there was the time I couldn't see
My senses were impaired and I was unable to see clearly
Blind as a bat for drink and easy laughs
I was blinded by alcohol and others laughed at my expense
A terrible time
It was a difficult and unpleasant situation
But keep it in mind
Remember what happened and learn from it
You can't tell your friends man 'cause this shit is mine
I'm not ready to share my struggle with others yet and need to handle it on my own
So leave me alone
I need some space and time to myself
And why does it have to get like this?
Why do I always end up in this state?
It always seems to get like this
I find myself in this negative cycle too often
Well I never meant to get like this
I didn't intend to resort to these negative coping mechanisms
Every night
This is becoming a common occurrence in my life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Benedict Gautrey, Daniel Fisher, David Hammond, Jonathan Harper, Kieran Mahon, Thomas Bellamy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind