‘We’re not activists, we just tell it how it is… we’re misfit music for a world full of misfits.’

Conceived in lockdown, Cooper T is the collaborative effort of two unnamed artists who write about the reality (and hilarity) of working-class life in their native Manchester. With a growing reputation for chaotic live performances, seeing Cooper T is a completely thrilling, unforgettable thing… only no-one can seem to agree on what that thing is.

They try and shed some light: ‘We’re producers. We make beats usually – hip-hop, rap, whatever – but we started making these tracks and singing over them. Quickly we knew we were onto something good. When people heard it, they were like, ‘what’s that? put it on again’. So we thought, let’s go for it.’

Having spent formative years DJing in and around the club scene of their home city, then being heavily involved in its dance and rap communities, it took time off during the pandemic to really hone what Cooper T were about: ‘In lockdown, we came up with this idea of us being different sides of the one personality; that personality being Cooper T. We wanted it to be a soundtrack to an animation at first, but that proved to be too costly and time-consuming. So the two of us wearing balaclavas seemed like the next step, almost like a real-life cartoon.’

‘We don’t necessarily want them (the balaclavas) to define us. To us, they’re about identity – our identity being the only thing we have left of own in this society of constant over-sharing – if you give your identity away, then you’ve got nothing. But eventually there’ll be a time when we’re seen without them.’

Although hesitant to publicly reveal their own identities, Cooper T aren’t shy about collaborating, working most recently with the likes of Murkage Dave, Sleaford Mods and Hugo. Musically, they move seamlessly between influences – touches of Two-Tone, punk, rap, drum n’ bass – resulting in a melting pot of sounds that can’t be pinned to one thing. ‘We seem to tick a lot of boxes I think, without fitting into any of them at all, which is why we think of ourselves as misfits.’

More obvious comparisons to Sleaford Mods or Kneecap will come their way, though they’re quick to make a distinction. Rather than being overtly political, the lyrics are tongue in cheek observations of everyday people, relationships, the north of England and working-class culture: ‘We want our audience to be able to picture themselves up there with us. We’re serious, but we don’t take our message too seriously, if that makes sense’.

After releasing a run of well-received singles and EPs, in late 2023, they embarked on a tour as main support for Kneecap, then went around the UK as special guests of Sleaford Mods, catching the ear of Liverpool-based record label Modern Sky Records, a well-known and respected stable for working class artists, on which they’re set to record and release further EPs, including the forthcoming single One Stop, featuring Sleaford Mods themselves.

Asked where they see Cooper T in the future, they pull no punches: ‘We want it to go international. We’re not particularly bothered about charting or anything like that. We want to keep building a core fanbase, travel around and play to as many people as we can. For us, the sky’s the limit.’