PopEx ≫ 2000 ≫ Cooper Temple Clause @ The Water Rats

Kings Cross! Are you ready to be freaked out! This was an TOP GIG...

Let's start on a downer: Their name, it is RUBBISH. There are SIX of them, that is rubbish. They are look like an indie boyband, that is rubbish. One of them (guitarist Tom Bellamy) was playing whilst sitting on the floor messing about with some mad scientist gadgets. They are from the PROVINCES (Wokingham, near Reading). Just about everything about them them screamed NO. You might have heard that they sound a bit like Radiohead / Pink Floyd, which has got to send any sane person running, and yet...

The music was an amazing blast of power. And other such cliches. Bits of Stone Roses, Primal Scream, the good early bits of Mansun, in fact the good bits of everyone. Noodley, multi layered, swirladelic, but stomping and ROCK too.

I'm loath to go too over the top, as I have a habit of bigging up truly embarrassingl bands, like Kula Shaker and Heavy Stereo, and living to regret it, but I am RIGHT looking forward to seeing them again. Possibly TONIGHT, supporting Snow Patrol, at Higbury Garage.

It was a bit of an "industry" type of gig, though not the band's first London show (earlier this year the Bull and Gate called them "psyched out SFA tinged rock", fair play). John Leckie was there, also Terry Hall, Matt Bellamy from Muse (relation? I don't know) and ALL OF BAXENDALE! It was very exciting.

Also saw a "supergroup" last night at the Monarch, made up of (wait for it) a Shed Seven, an Audioweb, and a Seahorse. They unfortunately didn't impress at all, but I'm prepared to accept that's because they were shadowed by the brilliance of The Cooper Temple Clause, and not because they are made up of a Shed seven, an Audioweb and a Seahorse. They got a good reaction, generated a buzz, and will surely do well.

Back to Cooper Temple Clause. Go and see them, or I will FITE YOU.

THE MAN

💬 Cooper Temple Clause

⬅️ :: ➡️

This content originally from my very popular (in the tail end of the '90s) site popex.com. Parts were written by valued punters, but mostly editorial originally created by me. I replicated this content here when the website eventually shut down in the early '00s. Hopefully this ignites memories if you find it.