Koopa (band)
Encyclopedia
Koopa are a pop punk
band from Sible Hedingham
, near Colchester
, Essex
, England
. The band formed in 2000 by the brothers Stuart Cooper (drums) and Oliver "Ollie" Cooper (vocals and guitar), plus Joe Murphy (vocals, bass, production). The band became the first act to have a Top 40 UK Singles Chart
hit based on download sales only, and the first act to have a charting single without being signed to a record label, both facilitated by then-recent changes to rules for eligibility for the singles chart.
and EMI
.
Between 2004 and 2007, the band toured continuously, both locally and nationally. During this period, they released two singles on Mad Cow Records. "No Trend" made the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #71. Their records included "Stand Up 4 England", a World Cup
related song supporting the England national team
, the lyrics of which were written for the band by Paul Baker. The single featured on the 2006 re-release of England (the album)
.
At the end of 2006 the band released a non-chart-eligible EP called "Three in a Bed with Bobby George". The cover featured the band in bed with the darts player, Bobby George
. The EP also featured "Erin's Main Obsession", "Pop Rock Factory", "How True" and "Unique" as well as "Blag, Steal and Borrow", the song that went on to become the band's download-only history making single.
Koopa were reported as being the first 'unsigned' band to reach the charts. Although "self-issued" records are fairly common for unsigned bands, the costs of doing so mean that it is relatively rare for enough copies of such records to be produced in order to gain a chart position. Wealthier artists who are able to fund their own record label have also previously charted without a record deal. KOOPA's achievement is to have entered the Top 40 Chart as an unsigned band through sales of downloads alone, there being no physical copy of the single in existence.
In June 2007 the band were invited to open the Isle of Wight Festival
from the main stage.
On 11 June 2007. "One Off Song for the Summer" debuted on the midweek chart at #12, later in the week it dropped to #17. By the following Sunday, June 17, the single had fallen to #21 in the charts.
October brought further success for the band when they returned from the Glasswerk New Music Awards with, not only the MySpace Award in recognition of their successful use of the site in their self-promotion, but also the final award of the night, The 2007 Achievement Award.
On 29 October 2007 "The Crash" was released which listed in the midweek chart at #12, appearing in the Official UK Singles Chart the following Sunday at #16 making them a "Top 20" band.
On 13 February 2008, again on MySpace, the band announced that their new record company; Pied Piper, had given them the opportunity to record an album in the US, which was to be produced by Mark Hoppus
(Blink 182). The band also announced the album was receiving its final mix and that they would be main support for Bowling for Soup
on a UK Tour. The album was mastered by Brian Gardiner
and was released at the beginning of 2009. In August 2008 the band announced that the first single from the forthcoming album would be "Gimmie It Back" which was released on 24 November 2008.
In February 2009, the Hoppus
produced album Lies Sell Stories was initially released in Japan via Yoshimoto records. The accompanying radio single "Gimmie It Back" received substantial air and video play on various broadcasters including MTV
. After this the band were invited to perform a short promotional tour of Japan, accompanying Metro Station
.
In April 2009, it was announced on their MySpace page that the Greatest Hits set - "More hits than a porn website" was slated for release on 8 June 2009, via Genepool/Universal distribution.
As of June 2009, the band have licensed all vintage material to Cohort/Brilliant records in the UK, are signed to Yoshimoto R&C In Japan, and other material including the new album Lies Sell Stories is owned by the band.
The band announced that their break was taken to develop a slightly new sound and new songs.
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
band from Sible Hedingham
Sible Hedingham
Sible Hedingham is a large village and civil parish in the Colne Valley in Braintree District of Essex, in England. It has a population of 3,665....
, near Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The band formed in 2000 by the brothers Stuart Cooper (drums) and Oliver "Ollie" Cooper (vocals and guitar), plus Joe Murphy (vocals, bass, production). The band became the first act to have a Top 40 UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
hit based on download sales only, and the first act to have a charting single without being signed to a record label, both facilitated by then-recent changes to rules for eligibility for the singles chart.
Career
The band began working together whilst Ollie Cooper was a teenager at school. In 2003 they made some recordings with B-Unique RecordsB-Unique Records
B-Unique Records is a London-based record label, founded in 2001 by Mark Lewis and Martin Toher.B-Unique has been a division of Atlantic Records UK since February 2008...
and EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
.
Between 2004 and 2007, the band toured continuously, both locally and nationally. During this period, they released two singles on Mad Cow Records. "No Trend" made the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #71. Their records included "Stand Up 4 England", a World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
related song supporting the England national team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, the lyrics of which were written for the band by Paul Baker. The single featured on the 2006 re-release of England (the album)
England (The Album)
England , released in 2004, is a compilation of music which all is closely related to England. The album was released to coincide with the Euro 2004 football tournament...
.
At the end of 2006 the band released a non-chart-eligible EP called "Three in a Bed with Bobby George". The cover featured the band in bed with the darts player, Bobby George
Bobby George
Robert Francis George is an English darts player and presenter. He is widely recognised as one of the game's biggest personalities, known for his flamboyant entrances in which the "King of Darts" makes his way to the stage bedecked in jewellery, wearing a crown and cloak and holding a candelabra...
. The EP also featured "Erin's Main Obsession", "Pop Rock Factory", "How True" and "Unique" as well as "Blag, Steal and Borrow", the song that went on to become the band's download-only history making single.
2007: Breakthrough
In January 2007, changes to the chart rules in the UK meant that songs which are not released on physical formats (such as CDs or on vinyl) would now be eligible to chart through downloaded copies. Koopa's single "Blag, Steal & Borrow" was released and charted at #31 on 14 January 2007, making it the first single to chart without ever being 'released' in the traditional sense.Koopa were reported as being the first 'unsigned' band to reach the charts. Although "self-issued" records are fairly common for unsigned bands, the costs of doing so mean that it is relatively rare for enough copies of such records to be produced in order to gain a chart position. Wealthier artists who are able to fund their own record label have also previously charted without a record deal. KOOPA's achievement is to have entered the Top 40 Chart as an unsigned band through sales of downloads alone, there being no physical copy of the single in existence.
In June 2007 the band were invited to open the Isle of Wight Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
from the main stage.
On 11 June 2007. "One Off Song for the Summer" debuted on the midweek chart at #12, later in the week it dropped to #17. By the following Sunday, June 17, the single had fallen to #21 in the charts.
October brought further success for the band when they returned from the Glasswerk New Music Awards with, not only the MySpace Award in recognition of their successful use of the site in their self-promotion, but also the final award of the night, The 2007 Achievement Award.
On 29 October 2007 "The Crash" was released which listed in the midweek chart at #12, appearing in the Official UK Singles Chart the following Sunday at #16 making them a "Top 20" band.
2008: Signed band
On 15 January 2008, Koopa announced on their MySpace page, that they had signed a deal with record label Pied Piper Records for three albums.On 13 February 2008, again on MySpace, the band announced that their new record company; Pied Piper, had given them the opportunity to record an album in the US, which was to be produced by Mark Hoppus
Mark Hoppus
Mark Allan Hoppus is an American musician, record producer, and television host. He is the bass guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists of the pop punk band Blink-182, as well as the bass guitarist and lead vocalist of the alternative rock band +44. He is a co-founder of both bands...
(Blink 182). The band also announced the album was receiving its final mix and that they would be main support for Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...
on a UK Tour. The album was mastered by Brian Gardiner
Brian Gardiner
Brian L. Gardiner was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1993. His background included publishing, administration and management....
and was released at the beginning of 2009. In August 2008 the band announced that the first single from the forthcoming album would be "Gimmie It Back" which was released on 24 November 2008.
2009: Fresh start
Early 2009 saw changes in the way the band is run. Frustrated with various issues, the band, at least temporarily, walked away from the label. The band are quoted as saying that they felt "The loss of control and direct communication with the fanbase had harmed the project". Unable to agree with the owners of the label All parties agreed that Koopa will once again become an independent act.In February 2009, the Hoppus
Mark Hoppus
Mark Allan Hoppus is an American musician, record producer, and television host. He is the bass guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists of the pop punk band Blink-182, as well as the bass guitarist and lead vocalist of the alternative rock band +44. He is a co-founder of both bands...
produced album Lies Sell Stories was initially released in Japan via Yoshimoto records. The accompanying radio single "Gimmie It Back" received substantial air and video play on various broadcasters including MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. After this the band were invited to perform a short promotional tour of Japan, accompanying Metro Station
Metro Station (band)
Metro Station is an American pop rock band that formed in Los Angeles by Mason Musso and Trace Cyrus. In late 2006, the band signed a recording contract with Columbia/Red Ink. They are best known for their Top 10 Billboard hit single "Shake It" from their self-titled debut album...
.
In April 2009, it was announced on their MySpace page that the Greatest Hits set - "More hits than a porn website" was slated for release on 8 June 2009, via Genepool/Universal distribution.
As of June 2009, the band have licensed all vintage material to Cohort/Brilliant records in the UK, are signed to Yoshimoto R&C In Japan, and other material including the new album Lies Sell Stories is owned by the band.
2010: Koopa return
After spending time away, the band have announced they will be making a return in late 2010, having had a very deliberate six months or so “out of the loop”, and after working and touring solidly for eight years. Joe Murphy said: “We’ve been out of the loop by choice. When you gig for so long, it gets a bit samey, so we took a bit of a break after the last few tours.”The band announced that their break was taken to develop a slightly new sound and new songs.
Albums
- Blag, Steal and BorrowBlag, Steal and Borrow (album)Blag, Steal and Borrow is Koopa's debut studio album released solely in Japan on April 30, 2007 through Pyropit Records. The band themselves have distributed copies of the album in the UK particularly as free giveaways and as part of merchandise deals...
Japan only - Pyropit records (2007) - Lies Sell StoriesLies Sell StoriesLies Sell Stories is Koopa's second studio album released solely in Japan on February 25, 2009, through Yoshimoto Records and Columbia. The whole album is available in download form both as a whole and as separate tracks.-Official tracklist:...
Japan only - Yoshimoto R and C (2009) - Greatest Hits Vol.1 - UK initially - Brilliant/Universal (June 2009)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
UK Download Chart | UK Rock Chart UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... |
|||
| 2005 | "No Trend" | 71 | - | - | Blag, Steal and Borrow Blag, Steal and Borrow (album) Blag, Steal and Borrow is Koopa's debut studio album released solely in Japan on April 30, 2007 through Pyropit Records. The band themselves have distributed copies of the album in the UK particularly as free giveaways and as part of merchandise deals... |
| 2006 2006 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band.... |
"Stand Up for England" | - | - | - | |
| "Three in a Bed with Bobby George EP" | N/A | - | - | ||
| 2007 | "Blag, Steal and Borrow Blag, Steal and Borrow (song) "Blag, Steal and Borrow" is the fourth single by English punk band Koopa. It was released as a download only single on January 8, 2007. It became the first single released by Koopa to reach the UK top 40, charting at number 31.... " |
31 | 24 | - | Blag, Steal and Borrow Blag, Steal and Borrow (album) Blag, Steal and Borrow is Koopa's debut studio album released solely in Japan on April 30, 2007 through Pyropit Records. The band themselves have distributed copies of the album in the UK particularly as free giveaways and as part of merchandise deals... |
| "One Off Song for the Summer" | 21 | 15 | 8 | ||
| "The Crash" | 16 | 11 | - | Lies Sell Stories Lies Sell Stories Lies Sell Stories is Koopa's second studio album released solely in Japan on February 25, 2009, through Yoshimoto Records and Columbia. The whole album is available in download form both as a whole and as separate tracks.-Official tracklist:... |
|
| 2008 | "Gimme It Back" | - | - | N/A Free download | Lies Sell Stories Lies Sell Stories Lies Sell Stories is Koopa's second studio album released solely in Japan on February 25, 2009, through Yoshimoto Records and Columbia. The whole album is available in download form both as a whole and as separate tracks.-Official tracklist:... |