Kasabian aren't lads, you know

Serge Pizzorno opens his heart to Metro, the poor misunderstood lamb:

What are peoples’ misconceptions of you?
That we’re boozy knob head lad-rock dicks – but when we release albums such as West Ryder, people are surprised. It’s always made us laugh. Those first few articles people write about you stay with your forever. It’s annoying but it’s good to surprise people. Some journalists just rehash all that stuff even if it’s not the truth.

Yeah, come on, journalists - stop giving the impression of Kasabian as being leery, beery lads. It's ages in the past that they were like that - why, it's nearly two whole months since they went on Absolute Radio at breakfast time and honked about buying porn magazines and wanking.

Another delight of the piece is the discovery that Kasabian still nurse a grudge against the now-defunct Cooper Temple Cause:

Playing with the Cooper Temple Clause in Wrexham when we first started. The gig was fine but they were miserable b******s. We were a young band and they’d had singles out – they treated us like s***. I remember thinking: ‘I’m not turning out like those f***ers.’ Musicians should try to help each other out. The ones who are too cool for that soon disappear but there are some who slip through the net and annoy you forever.

It doesn't seem to have even flitted through Serge's mind that, quite possibly, the CTC didn't warm to Kasabian turning up, Razzles under their arms, and that might have been why they didn't embrace them. And, frankly, who could blame them?

The Cooper Temple Paused

The cancellation of their Camden Crawl dates was an augury: The Cooper Temple Clause have called it a day:

Dear Team Cooper

It is with a sad and heavy heart that I must announce that The Cooper Temple Clause have decided to split up.

Last week I informed the rest of the boys that I would be leaving the band. As I hope you will all be able to understand, it was perhaps the most difficult decision I have ever had to make. When the only life you have ever known is that of your five best friends and the music you make, the thought of leaving that life is not one to be considered lightly and I assure you all that the decision was not an easy one to make. Nonetheless, it was something I felt I had to do. I can only apologise from the bottom of my heart for the disappointment this will undoubtedly cause many of you.

In the wake of this decision the rest of the boys agreed to call it a day and pursue other interests. Friendships are well and truly intact and the love very much remains within the camp.

We would like to take this moment to thank all of you for your support over the years and the love and acceptance you have shown us. It has been an honour to be your servants, for that is what we have been. A band is nothing without its fans, without the people who come to the shows, buy the albums and make us feel that we're not alone in the world, that there are other people out there who see the world as we do in all its wonder and absurdity. People can say what they like about The Cooper Temple Clause, but the unswerving loyalty and dedication of you guys, the ones who really matter, can never be called into question. From the very beginning you have shone brighter than we could have ever hoped, from the street teams to the forum administrators, from those of you who saw us in the Bull and Gate to those who made the earth shake at Fuji Rock on the other side of the world; we thank you all, each and every one of you. When we stood as children in front of our mirrors brandishing tennis rackets and singing into upturned golf clubs, never did we imagine the fantastic adventure we would embark upon thanks to you, the greatest fans in the world. We can only hope that we touched your hearts as much as you have ours.

Take heart and carry on, dear Team. Never be afraid to be yourselves, to be individuals, to fly in the face of common sense and listen to your hearts, to do it your own way. We made a bunch of albums. We played a bunch of shows. We met a bunch of people who changed our lives forever.

We love you all.

Thank you so much.
Yours, in absence of a cheesy line from one of our own songs to end this post,

Dan

The world is a little less guitarry this morning.

Cooper Temple Crawls away

Plans for the Cooper Temple Clause to turn up at the Camden Crawl have fallen through. Last night, it was it unforeseen circumstances; as you can't not foresee the same thing happening twice, it's plain old exhaustion. Presumably whatever circumstances they'd failed to foresee last night turned out to be tiring. The statemented in NME.com's direction:

"We're all gutted about having to pull out of the Camden Crawl and would have loved to be there with everyone," they explained. "However, over four months of constant touring worldwide has left us physically and emotionally exhausted and we didn't feel it would have been fair on the punters to put on a sub-standard show.

"We all need to get some rest and regroup but we'll be back with bells on soon."

We're not sure if they were afraid of a substandard show on their terms, or those of the average man in the street. It's the "emotionally exhausted" bit that makes us go 'hmm', to be honest.

Cooper Temple tours

Heading out for a life on the road, with all the Ginsters pasties that implies - The Cooper Temple Clause:

23th - Dublin Whelans
24th - Belfast Spring & Airbrake
25th - Glasgow QMU
26th - Aberdeen Lemon Tree
27th - Newcastle Northumbria University
29th - Manchester Academy 2
30th - Birmingham Irish Centre
31st - Leeds Metropolitan University
2nd Apr - Norwich Waterfront
3rd - Bristol Academy
4th - Portsmouth Pyramid Centre
5th - London Shepherds Bush (they haven't offered a venue - perhaps they'll be dancing in the streets or something)

Pop Papers: Supplemental - do you see what we did there?

We neglected to mention that the nme this week comes with a pull out of Melody Maker style "images of the year" - Coldplay; Kelly Osbourne; Liam; Von Bondies; Cooper Temple Clause; The Hives; The Strokes; the Datsuns; The Vines. The choice is curious - none of the really great pictures of the year (White Stripes with New York between them, for instance) and even the most photogenic band don't come across that well - how can you have a picture of Craig that doesn't make you sticky?