The Greatest Rock'n'Roll Band on The Planet

There was no post at this here homepage yesterday due to two factors - my daytime was filled with a hectic day at work and my evening with a gig by the Greatest Rock'n'Roll Band on The Planet.

If I recall correctly, and I probably don't, I think last night's gig at The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen was the ninth time I've seen The Cooper Temple Clause.

That makes me sound like some sad fanboy obsessively trailing the band around. Not quite, although I have now seen them in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Falkirk. And there's a very good reason for this (hint: I mentioned it in the first paragraph).

Last night's gig was heavily weighted towards material from new album Make This Your Own. Whilst the record doesn't quite hit the same heights as their first two, when played live the songs sound more like the Clause of old - like the end of the world as interpreted by Metallica and Aphex Twin.

TCTC have always been loud. Their aural arsenal doesn't include songs like "Let's Kill Music" and "Panzer Attack" for nothing - it really is a bass-driven blitzkreig. But it's the distillation of their influences that makes them the most exciting band I've ever had the fortune to see nine times. Combining German electronica, prog rock, metal, space rock and indie may sound like a recipe for unlistenable chaos, but the Clause, reduced to a five-piece following Didz Hammond's defection to Dirty Pretty Things, manage it.

That they can leave out songs of the calibre of "The Devil Walks In The Sand", "Who Needs Enemies?", and "Did You Miss Me?" and still thrash through an hour-long set speaks volumes of the band's back catalogue.

I could go on like this forever. I've been a huge fan of the band since before their first single was released, and I imagine that, provided they don't suddenly branch out further and become a reggae band, I always will.

Anyone who wants to know what all the fuss is about should check out the band's homepage, which includes a few samples of songs.

Or email me and I'll let you hear some of their earlier work.