The Cooper Temple Clause Interview
By: Reba Pardieu

Bandchat's Reba Pardieu had a talk with Cooper Temple Clause singer Benedict Gautrey after their in-store performance at Waterloo Records in Austin during SxSW this year. The following is what transpired…

Reba: To begin, how did the name The Cooper Temple Clause come about? Didz is quoted in one interview saying it comes from some sort of Egyptian legal ranglings…
Ben: Yeah…no, that's a lie. The truth is, Jon, our drummer, when he was 17 did an exchange in Luxembourg , and the guys he used to hang out with in Luxembourg were in a gang called the Cooper gang. And we needed a name…a long name, so we just went with Cooper Temple Clause. For our first show, we needed to be introduced and you need a name when you're being introduced, so it stuck.

Reba: So now that you're touring in the US , are there any differences in the gigs you're playing now in the states versus what you're used to playing in the UK ? How have the audiences been reacting?
Ben: Unfortunately, we've had a lot more shows in the UK . We've only been two weeks here in America , but the crowds have been really positive. We didn't really know what to expect. It's cool to play in these smaller venues, because in the UK we're used to playing larger venues, and it's nice to see how things translate from venue to venue.

Reba: Can you give us three words to describe your band?
Ben: Loud, annoying, and… tall. Tall, yes.

Reba: You guys are no stranger to touring, you've played a lot of shows before venturing to America . Can you give us a story from the road?
Ben: Well Kevin Costner showed up at our show in Birmingham . He had been to a football match and came afterward to see us. Fisher had a few beers in him and basically got wrecked and started calling him a bad actor. When that happened… Well I don't think Kevin Costner and us are ever going to be working together again.

Reba: What is the most interesting place you've played?
Ben: Well this one is quite unique. We've never actually played a stage that small. The best place, I'd say was the Fuji festival, the most incredible festival I've ever been to. It was a very beautiful place. The scenery was all green and there were these gorgeous trees and mountains. The atmosphere is just incredible and it completely pumps up the music. There's nothing negative to say about that festival. Coming from Reading , Fuji was amazing.

Reba: Tell us about reading.
Ben: Reading is this town about 50 miles from London . Three days a year it's got this great festival, but then the rest of the year there's nothing. No arts, no venues, nothing. There's nothing to do there when you're a young kid looking to have fun.

Reba: We try to ask this question in every interview just to mix things up. If you were Jello what kind would you be and why?
Ben: If I was…if I was what?
Reba: If you were Jello.
Ben: Jello?
Reba: You know, gelatin…
Ben: No…Gelatin?
Reba: Like, wiggly, jiggly gelatin jello..
Ben: Oh, jello? Jello. I'd be red. I'd be a red rabbit. A red strawberry rabbit. Yeah, I'd like that.

Reba: We've heard some things about Didz putting beverages in his hair in place of styling products. Can you tell us why he does this?
Ben: He went through this faze with dairy products. Putting dairy items in his hair, and it got really smelly. But uh, you can put a lot of things in your hair… like spirits, or liquor as you say here. I guess he's just influenced by Sid Barrett, you know when he put LSD in his hair.

Reba: Many of the reviews about The Cooper Temple Clause say that one of the things this band really has is confidence. How did you get to that point of so much confidence?
Ben: We started a band because we were fed up and tired of the bad music that was coming out and being played on the radio. The aim wasn't to be on the front of magazines or to hang out with famous people. Nothing like that. We wanted to make some good music, that was the goal. We made the music that we felt wasn't being made, so we're just confident in our music.

Reba: What bands do you respect the most?
Ben: I think we all love a band who can change and develop with every album. Not those bands who take one album and sort of rehash it over and over again. And bands who make music to make music, not to make money.

Reba: What words of wisdom do you have for someone who's never heard your music or is coming to one of your shows for the first time?
Ben: Well the first thing you need to enjoy our show is a Topcat. A Topcat is tequila and coke mixed together. Didz named it that, the Topcat. Also known as the Cooper. Have a few of those, it gets you buzzing. And I guess don't wear earplugs.

Reba: And lastly: If you are what you eat, what are you these days while on tour?
Ben: Olives and chicken. I have to say chicken is a big passion with this band.