The Cooper Temple Clause

The Cooper Temple Clause (sometimes called TCTC) formed in the Reading area of England in the late 1990s with a combination of guitars, keyboards, drums and synthesisers played by members Tom Bellamy, Daniel Fisher, Ben Gautrey, Jon Harper, Kieron Mahon and Didz Hammond. They toured internationally, appeared at many festivals and released three albums before disbanding in 2007.

They landed their first record deal in 2001 and an initial EP was followed in 2002 by their debut album 'See This Through and Leave' . It was welcomed by fans of alternative rock as a sparkling mix of post-hardcore grunge with many rock influences and even echoes of honky-tonk jazz. It spawned three singles with 'Film Maker/Been Training Dogs' the only one to break the top 20. The album peaked at number 27 on the UK chart but the band proved popular on tour in England, Japan and Australia. Their second album 'Kick Up the Fire and Let the Flames Break Loose' in 2003 achieved better sales and reached number five with a more electronic sound. The single 'Promises Promises' reached number 19, the best achievement of any TCTC single.

In 2005, key figure Didz Hammond left the band to join the short-lived act Dirty Pretty Things and The Cooper Temple Cause's third and final album, 'Make This Your Own', in 2007 was said to suffer for it with a sound quite different from the previous two records, peaking at number 33. In April of that year, Daniel Fisher also left the band and as a result the remaining members broke up.