This low key warm up date for a forthcoming US tour finds The Cooper Temple Clause returning to the Garage, a venue they outgrew a long time ago. What on the face of things looks like a treat for the fans, can in reality turn into a testing board for new material in front of their most loyal fans or, as in this case, a chance to blow away the cobwebs before going on tour ‘proper’.
So, small venue, big ticket price (£17 tonight including booking fee) but hope and faith accompany us. Arriving 15 minutes late on stage the first signs aren’t great. The infamous birds nest haircuts are out in force, extra member Dan Austin who is replacing bassist Didz for the US tour (he’s spending time with his new baby apparently but is here tonight) is in place but the sound is awful, loud indecipherable mush. Second song ‘Film Maker’ nearly takes our heads off whilst seemingly having no bottom end at all. They then throw away ‘Blind Pilots’ as the third song whilst the sound is still sorting itself out. Half way through the fourth song they get a grip on the sound and things start to look up.
And what a band they are when they’re firing on all cylinders, ranging from heavy walls of guitar, to delicate, other worldliness and mashed up beats within a blink of an eye. They play early singles and little heard of b sides, amongst most of ‘Kick up the Fire and Let the Flames Break Loose’ and selected highlights off of the first album ‘See This Through and Leave’ It’s impossible to keep up with the band as they constantly swap instruments, sometimes utilising two drummers, then breaking down into a four piece, letting guitarist / sample king Tom Bellamy sing (whilst singer Ben Gautrey tries his best to spoil the moment by pressing the wrong button on the keyboards sending static white noise over a more delicate interlude) or all improvising with the electronics.
There remains a feeling of gate-crashing but rather than a rehearsal it’s more of a private party. The faithful are down the front singing their hearts out and throwing themselves about. It’s hot, as hot as a furnace and no amount of Red Stripe will stop your mouth feeling like the Gobi desert. You can work up a sweat walking to the bar tonight yet the energy levels remain high both on and off the stage. Whilst the set drifts and sags in the middle slightly, a rousing ‘Let’s Kill Music’, a sublime ‘Amber’ and a magnificent version of ‘Music Box’ which unravels to the middle section where the band briefly pause to discard keyboards in favour of guitars before they all crash in together to devastating effect. Mesmerising to pulverising within seconds. They finish with a roof removing double whammy of ‘Promises Promises’ and ‘Panzer Attack’ that leaves us battered and breathless before vacating the stage and disappearing into the night. A triumphant finish.
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Why The Cooper Temple Clause remain at the level they are in this country remains a mystery. They have now made two essential albums, they look the nuts (ie. exactly how you want a rock band to look, dodgy barnets and all), they put on a blinding live show and still they are roundly ignored by far too many. This may not have been their best gig but they still showed more passion, talent and raw power than most bands show throughout their careers. Maybe America will take them to their hearts, playing support to fat goth granddads The Cure, they’ll be in peak condition, stream lined and ready to decimate all that stands before them.
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