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)
Who Needs Enemies?
The Cooper Temple Clause Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lets just see what we can do
First we'll take you down back to the meathouse
And then you'll hold their hands again
I know tricks that you could only dream of
Looks like it's your lucky day
A killer key change
But who needs enemies
When you've got friends
Now your hands are tied
And who needs accidents
When you've got me
Now I'm on your side
Now let's try and teach you how to mingle
Then we'll teach you how to kill
Lies will always be your best of best friends
Never be alone again
A killer key change
Is all you'll ever need
All these animals
That you call friends
Now they're on their knees
Man, you tricked 'em all
You played the fool
So damn easy to please
I made my name in function rooms
And drifting through the walls
Come on let me teach you boy
Teach you 'bout it all
All these animals
That you call friends
Now they're on their knees
Man, you tricked 'em all
You played the fool
So damn easy to please
The Cooper Temple Clause's song "Who Needs Enemies?" is a track that, on the surface of it, speaks to the manipulation of others for personal gain. The opening statement, "My oh my, I'm seeing the potential, let's just see what we can do," sets the tone for the track on the whole, suggesting a confidence that speaks to an invisible sense of power. The lyrics "First we'll take you down to the meathouse, and then you'll hold their hands again," speaks to the idea of coaxing someone out of their comfort zone and, as it seems, into some sort of setting that both the singer and the victim finds disturbing. The next lines on the same theme of offering the listener something that they've never considered before, suggesting that the singer knows tricks that the victim can only dream of, leaving the individual apparently impressed.
Throughout the song, the individual manipulation of the victim is a heavy theme, with the chorus asking "who needs enemies when you've got friends?" an apparent suggestion that friends are often the real enemies that work constantly to pull people down. The phrase "now your hands are tied," is also an interesting choice, with the song seeming to tie down the victim in a way that they can't move forward without the singer's help. The song seems to be written from the perspective of someone who wishes to manipulate the person they are singing to, although it isn't entirely clear who that might be.
Line by Line Meaning
My oh my, I'm seeing the potential
I am confident and excited about the opportunities in front of us
Lets just see what we can do
We should experiment and try new things
First we'll take you down back to the meathouse
We will bring you to a place where you will have to face your fears
And then you'll hold their hands again
After overcoming your fears, you can go back to your old ways
I know tricks that you could only dream of
I have secret knowledge and skills that you cannot even imagine
Looks like it's your lucky day
You are fortunate to have me on your side
A killer key change
A drastic and effective change in strategy
Is all you'll ever need
This strategy will be sufficient to achieve your goals
But who needs enemies
Having enemies is unnecessary
When you've got friends
Because with friends like me, enemies are irrelevant
Now your hands are tied
You are constrained and limited in your actions
And who needs accidents
Undesirable consequences are avoidable
When you've got me
Because with me, you can control the outcome
Now I'm on your side
I am supportive of you and your goals
Now let's try and teach you how to mingle
We will teach you how to socialize and make connections
Then we'll teach you how to kill
Once you have connections, we will teach you how to use them to your advantage
Lies will always be your best of best friends
Deception is a valuable tool
Never be alone again
You will always have me and my guidance
All these animals
These people
That you call friends
That you trust and rely on
Now they're on their knees
They are vulnerable and at your mercy
Man, you tricked 'em all
You have successfully deceived them all
You played the fool
You acted naive and unsuspecting
So damn easy to please
They were easily manipulated
I made my name in function rooms
I gained my credibility and reputation in practical situations
And drifting through the walls
I have the ability to be unseen and undetected
Come on let me teach you boy
You need to listen to me and learn
Teach you 'bout it all
I will teach you everything you need to know to succeed
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BURT F BACHARACH, THOMAS RHYS BELLAMY, GAUTREY BENEDICT MARTXEL, DAVID HAL, DANIEL FRANK FISHER, DAVID JONATHAN HAMMOND, JONATHAN DANIEL HARPER, KIERAN JAMES MAHON, Benedict Gautrey, Burt Bacharach, Daniel Fisher, David Hammond, Hal David, Jonathan Harper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
somerandomhuman
My oh my, i'm seeing the potential
Lets just see what we can do
First we'll take you down back to the meathouse
And then you'll hold their hands again
I know tricks that you could only dream of
Looks like it's your lucky day
A killer key change
Is all you'll ever need
[chorus]
But who needs enemies
When you've got friends
Now your hands are tied
And who needs accidents
When you've got me
Now i'm on your side
Now lets try and teach you how to mingle
Then we'll teach you how to kill
Lies will always be your best of best friends
Never be alone again
A killer key change
Is all you'll ever need
[chorus]
All these animals
That you call friends
Now they're on their knees
Man, you tricked 'em all
You played the fool
So damn easy to please
I made my name in function rooms
And drifting through the walls
Come on let me teach you boy
Teach you 'bout it all
[chorus]
All these animals
That you call friends
Now they're on their knees
Man, you tricked 'em all
You played the fool
So damn easy to please
A A
the most underrated band of the 00s, period.
Cosmo mullen
Brilliant band and massively underrated
Dave Smith
Agree
Gypsy Emperor
too true, I remember watching them live years ago and thinking these guys are gonna be huge.. shame.
Buz Ket
One of the most underrated bands that were about and when they had a song on fifa 04' you know they should of had more recognition! PROMISES PROMISES <3
Roland Kunz jr
Miss Them Badly...One Of The Greatest Bands Of The Zero Years
Dan W
The drummer Jon taught me at music school in 2010-ish. Nicest guy you'll ever meet. Everyone liked Jonny boy!
TheHappydead
Such a great band. This would make an excellent Bond tune
James Swinford
Quality band. Way ahead of their time.
Commander E.
The Cooper Temple Clause never slagged other bands off, but instead made better music !