Illusive Bristolian beatmaker Claude Cooper returns with a visceral blast of psychedelic-hip-hop, enlisting IDLES frontman Joe Talbot and BEAK> bassist Billy Fuller for ‘Perfect Execution’, a limited edition 7″ single in aid of War Child UK.
Claude Cooper has found a kindred spirit in Joe Talbot. The IDLES frontman has long worn his hip-hop influences as openly as his post-punk ones, and on ‘Perfect Execution’ that affinity finds its fullest expression yet. Cooper’s raw, dissonant production collides with Talbot’s breathless, confrontational lyricism in a track that draws its lineage from Public Enemy as readily as it does from Bristol’s own bruised musical history.
The lyrics pull no punches. Talbot inhabits a landscape of public spectacle and private suffering, circling images of crowds, chains, hanging and the hollow comfort of slogans. The repeated refrain of “No pain no gain” hits differently when set against the track’s subject matter, its bludgeoning repetition somewhere between protest chant and bitter irony.
Joe says, “It’s an honour to work with some beautiful Bristol heads on this track for Warchild. All is love”.
The release forms part of Friendly Recordings’ ongoing series of limited edition coloured 7″ singles, each one a fundraising artefact as much as a musical statement. ‘Perfect Execution’ is pressed on 900 red and 100 green vinyl, with the green edition available exclusively through the Friendly Records shop.
When Tom Friend of Bristol’s Friendly Records asked “What can we do to help?” in the early days of the Ukraine war, few could have predicted the chain of events that would follow. That impulse has since raised £250,000 for War Child UK, brought Portishead back to a stage for the first time in seven years, and produced a run of limited edition vinyl releases featuring PJ Harvey, Sleaford Mods, Hot Chip and IDLES.
War Child UK’s Richard Clarke reflects on what the partnership has come to represent: “It’s brilliant to see the new Claude Cooper track featuring Joe Talbot come out on Friendly Recordings to support War Child UK. Right now, millions more children risk losing their safety, stability, and futures. The need for War Child’s life-saving work to protect and stand up for the rights of children living through the unimaginable is urgent and growing. We believe no child should be part of war. Ever.”
‘Perfect Execution’ is available to order from 2nd June 2026 on Friendly Recordings, limited to 1000 copies on 7″ vinyl: 900 red (general release) and 100 green (Friendly Records shop exclusive). Also available digitally via Bandcamp.
All proceeds go to War Child UK.
Claude Cooper featuring Joe Talbot ‘Perfect Execution’
Label: Friendly Recordings
Release Date: 2nd June 2026
Format: Limited 7″ vinyl // Download via Bandcamp
Cat No: FRWC7007
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