Koopa (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Koopa


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Origin = Essex, England
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Genre = Indie rock, pop punk
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Years_active = 2004–present
Label = Pied Piper
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Current_members = Stu Cooper Ollie Cooper Joe Murphy
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Koopa is an indie rock band from Essex in England. The band formed in 2000 and its members are brothers Stuart (drums) and Oliver Cooper (vocals and guitar), and Joe Murphy (vocals, bass, production). [http://koopatheband.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=69 KOOPA biography] koopatheband.com; Accessed 11-01-07 ]

Band

The band began working together whilst Ollie was a teenager at school. In 2003 they made some recordings with B-Unique Records and EMI, but after failing to receive any concrete offers they decided instead to work with local management company Big G.

Between 2004 and 2007, the band toured relentlessly, both locally and nationally. During this period, they self released two singles, which both made the top 75 singles chart, but failed to break into the better known Top 40. [http://koopatheband.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=70&Itemid=74 Discography] koopatheband.com; Accessed 11-01-07 ] Their records included Stand Up 4 England, a World Cup related song supporting the England national team that featured on the 2006 re-release of "England (the album)". [ [http://www.play.com/Music/CD/RGNCS/3-/1003664/England_The_Album/Product.html England - The Album] Play.com (UK); Accessed 11-01-07 ]

At the end of 2006 the band released a non-chart-eligible E.P. called 'Three in a bed with Bobby George' through Birmingham-based company Ditto Music. The cover featured just that with the band in bed with the legendary darts player.The E.P. 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 bands 'Download-only' history making single.

2007: Breakthrough

In January 2007, changes in 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 strategized through Ditto Music and charted at #31 on 14 January, making it the first single to chart without ever being 'released' in the traditional sense. [http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1991362,00.html A blag or a steal? New rules put unsigned punk band in top 40] Gibson, Owen; "The Guardian"; 16-01-07; Accessed 18-01-07 ]

Many reported Koopa as being the first 'unsigned' band to reach the charts. [ [http://mtv.co.uk/channel/10012007/unsigned_band_on_for_top_20_hit Unsigned Band On For Top 20 Hit] MTV News; 10-01-2007; Accessed 12-01-07 ] Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6260995.stm|title=Unsigned band make chart history|accessdate=2007-01-19|publisher=BBC News] Although "self-issued" records are fairly common for unsigned bands, [ [http://www.hmvdigital.com/HMV.Digital.WebStore.Portal/Pages/System/AlbumInfo.aspx?ComponentId=2598743 Turn on The Bright Lights] HMV.com; Accessed 12-01-07; This review of Interpol's album Turn on the Bright Lights refers to their "self-issued" debut EP's. ] the costs of doing so mean that it is extremely rare for enough copies of such records to be made in order to gain a chart position. Artists with wealth who are able to fund their own record label have also previously charted without a record deal. [ [http://www.melaniec.net/ BIOGRAPHY] Melanie Chisholm; Accessed 12-01-07; In the biography section of Melanie Chisholm's personal website, the fact that the Beautiful Intentions album was self-issued is discussed ] KOOPA's achievement is to have entered the Top 40 Chart as an Unsigned Band though 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 June 11th 2007, the band once more launched a single through Ditto Music as an 'unsigned' band. 'One Off Song for the Summer' debuted on the midweek chart at Number 12, later in the week it dropped to 17. By the following Sunday, 17th June, the single had fallen to a very respectable 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'.

October the 29th saw the release through Ditto Music of "The Crash", their latest single which listed in the midweek chart at Number 12, appearing in the Official UK Singles chart the following Sunday at Number 16 making the band officially a Top 20 band.

2008: Signed Band

On the 15th of January 2008 Koopa announced, appropriately enough on their MySpace site, that they had signed a deal with record label Pied Piper Records for three albums. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/7198993.stm] On the 13th February, again on MySpace, the band announced that their new record company; Pied Piper, had given them the opportunity to record an album in America, which was to be produced by Mark Hoppus, ex-member of US band Blink 182 now a member of +44.The band also announced the album was getting the final mix and that they would be main support for Bowling for Soup on a UK Tour. The album is being mastered by Brian Gardiner and is expected to be 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', released on November 17th.

Discography

Albums

ingles

References

External links

* [http://koopatheband.com/ KOOPA official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/koopa KOOPA Myspace/Tour Dates]
* [http://www.piedpiperrecords.co.uk/index.html Pied Piper Records]