" I wanna kill you all "

Had more than a few audience members looking at one another as if to say: " He didn't really say, what I think he did, did he ?" Yes he did. Hailing from the Manchester area and with song titles like " The World Is Ours" they have the same intent as previous giants from that area. They were well received in Liverpool and helped stir the crowd up for the main act, not that they needed it.

With songs about back stabbing friends, human breakdowns an ode to murder,
The Cooper Temple Clause were never going to find their way into the mainstream like other new bands they have been compared to The Libertines and The Datsuns. Their following is no doubt smaller, hence why they stayed in Academy 2 and The Libertines were upgraded to Academy one fortheir visit to Liverpool in February. However, their fan basis certainly more fanatical,as their arrival on stage initiated a surge of energy from an exuberant crowd,that lead to a few people being removed from the venue. When they played a volley of songs from their popular album "See This Through And Leave": 'Let's Kill Music' 'Murder Song' and "Let's Kill Music", saw the venu8e turn into acrowd surfer's equivalent of Bondai Beach. TCTC front man Ben Gautrey had to ask the crowd to calm down, as things seemed to be getting a little out of control.

The Cooper Temple Clause actually sound heavier live than they do on CD, with more of a grunge, early Nirvana and Alice in Chains feel to them, than any band in the Indie category to which theyappear to have been pigeon holed by the critics. They took the opportunity to try out a few new songs like 'New Toys' and " Promises, Promises". The latter song seems to continue the theme from their popular track 'Who Needs Enemies'about manipulative people:

"There's gonna be some action, you got me where you want me"

This track will have pleased the sometimes obsessive Cooper's fan base, as it shows they are continuing where they left off and are compromising their integrity in order to please a wider audience. The evening ended with an exuberant version of "Panzer Attack", with the band completely throwing themselves into the song. Didz Hammond decided to climb on top of one of the speakers and pick up one of the lights and put the spotlight on random members of the crowd, who were letting loose just like the band. The band deservedly left to rapturous applause from a grateful crowd.

David Adair