Didz Hammond Says His Goodbyes

Didz Hammond; formally of Cooper Temple Clause has issued a statement to fans explaining the reasons behind his departure from the band.

Hammond will be joining Carl Barat, Gary Powell and Anthony Rossomundo in Barat’s as yet unnamed outfit that will hopefully be assaulting the airwaves sometime soon.

Hammond said on the Cooper Temple Clause’s website;

"First of all, thank you so much to those of you on various forums that have sent messages of love and support. I can't really begin to say how much that means to me. For those of you watching the web, this wasn't supposed to be how you all found out, and this would all have been a complete shit-storm were it not for the unparalleled brotherhood that me and the boys continue to share.

Second of all, thanks to Jon, Tom, Ben, Fish and the boy Mayhem. i believe Fish hit the nail on the head in his message on the Cooper's site "A brother has left the family home, but has not left the family." It takes a special bunch of kids to be able to believe and say that in these circumstances. And that's what the cooper temple clause are. A very very special bunch of kids. They've taught me everything i know.

But i do feel it is time to move on. Situations are not as they were 5 years ago, and neither should they be. Life is about movement and change. I've been to hell and back making this decision, but my mind is set and so i go. But if i thought that my leaving would kill the Coopers then i would never have considered leaving at all. I am currently sat downstairs in the studio with Tom and Jon, whilst upstairs Ben, Fisher and Kieran tweak the next record, and it sounds stunning. It really does. So much work has been done to get to this point and they're not gonna cry it down the toilet just cos the kid with the big gob is doing something else.

So with warm friendships firmly intact, and Cooperism alive and well in all our hearts, we part ways. Thank you to everyone. In the words of George Harrison (though in extremely different circumstances) “see you round the clubs.”

Ain’t that sweet.

Photo By Shelly Turner