The Line-up Gareth Owen (vocals/guitar), Stuart Turner (guitar), Lee Dodson (bass), Euan Rodger (drums).

The History The Copperpot Journals released their debut EP on Blind Bear Records in 2000, which went largely unnoticed. In the winter of 2001 the band recorded their second effort - the seven track mini-album, Plotting To Kill Your Friends - but It wasn’t until the summer of 2002, after a move to Firefly Recordings, that it was released. The CD received high acclaim and marked the beginning of a hectic year for the band. After returning from an initial bout of touring with As Friends Rust, they found themselves back on the road again, this time at the request of Hundred Reasons, where they proved they could hold their own on some of the country’s larger stages.

2003 saw the release of Pilots, the first full-length album from The Copperpot Journals.

The Sound On Plotting To Kill Your Friends, the band’s sound was a brief lesson in the finer points of post-hardcore, from the intensity of Boxing Champion and Harder Than Cars to the more introspective title track. Kerrang! wrote that the CD “features moments of surging screamocore, some Appleseed Cast-esque twinkling guitars, and bags and bags of accessible melodies. It has to be said that this is confident, impressive stuff. If The Weather Is Your Common Ground doesn’t lure you in with it’s rolling basslines and angular Jawbox-style delivery, the genius I Lie All The Time, with it’s lovingly picked guitars, will. Icarus Was Bored, meanwhile, comes on like early Hundred Reasons. And we all know what happened to them.”

Pilots, on the other hand, is a totally different kettle of fish. Having had more than two years to work on their sound they have matured and clearly benefited from extensive touring. The album develops further the band’s ability to go from intense quiet to awesome volume without batting an eyelid and takes in influences from all over the rock world. This is emo with the musical intelligence of Tool and the diversity of Martin Grech, while moments like Black Snow are reminiscent of The Walkmen. But if that puts you off because you just want something to rock out to, do not fear, tracks like Coronary and Ornament will keep you more than happy.

IF Recommends

Plotting To Kill Your Friends (Buy it at Amazon)
Pilots (Buy it at Amazon)

Websites The Copperpot Journals | Firefly Recordings