The Enemy (known as The Enemy UK in the United States) are an English
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band formed in
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
in 2006. The band's debut album ''
We'll Live and Die in These Towns'' (2007) went straight to Number 1 in the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
on release. Their second album ''
Music for the People'' (2008) went to Number 2 on the UK Albums Chart. ''
Streets in the Sky
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdictio ...
'', their third studio album, was released on 21 May 2012 and was also their third UK top 10 album. Their fourth studio album, ''It's Automatic'', was released on 9 October 2015.
After disbanding in 2016, the band reunited in 2022 for two reunion shows in their hometown of Coventry and a UK tour.
History
Formation and early recordings (2006–07)
Bass player Andy Hopkins and drummer Liam Watts originate from Coventry, while frontman and multi-instrumentalist
Tom Clarke is originally from
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, later moving to Coventry. Clarke attended
Finham Park Secondary School in the city during his teenage years, with Hopkins attending
Heart of England School
Heart of England School is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status located in Balsall Common in the West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite directi ...
in nearby
Balsall Common
Balsall Common is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, England. It is situated 4.75 miles (7.5 km) northwest of Kenilworth, west of Coventry, east of Solihull and to the southeast of Birmingham, to which it serves as ...
, while Watts studied at the city's Cardinal Newman secondary school.
The Enemy met their original manager, John Dawkins, because Watts' aunt worked with one of Dawkins' family members. Dawkins asked producer Matt Terry to do him a favour and give the band cheap studio time. Terry then produced their first set of three songs: 'Heart Attack', 'Had Enough' and '40 Days and 40 Nights'. Dawkins then forwarded the demos to David Bianchi at A&R Warner.
In 2006 the band were the opening act at Coventry's
Godiva Festival
The Godiva Festival is a three-day music festival held each year in the War Memorial Park, Coventry, England, named after the city's famous former inhabitant Lady Godiva. It first appeared as a day-long event in 1997 and became a 3-day event t ...
, an event they would play for the next two years, making their way to the headline slot.
''We'll Live and Die in These Towns'' (2007–08)
They first gained acclaim when they were mentioned in ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' as the act most likely to "break your windows" for 2007. They supported
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”
The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
,
The Fratellis
The Fratellis are a Scottish rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
...
,
Kasabian
Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and occasional vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karlof ...
,
The Paddingtons
The Paddingtons are an English indie rock band from Hull. Between April 2005 and 9 November 2006, they played over 150 live shows, including venues such as Trent Park Golf Club, The Square, Harlow; Jersey Live; Summercase; The Underground, ...
,
Ash
Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
,
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (musician ...
,
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
and
Stereophonics
Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Adam Zind ...
on their UK tours.
In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
, first in the 'Guardian Lounge' on Saturday and then the much larger 'Other Stage' on Sunday. They also headlined on the Saturday night of
T in the Park
T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...
in the 'Futures' tent on 7 July 2007.
Their single, "
Away From Here" entered the charts at number 8 and its follow-up "
Had Enough" entered the charts at number 4. Building on their rapid exposure, The Enemy appeared on the
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
2007 Rock 'N' Roll Riot Tour during September and October 2007 along with
Lethal Bizzle
Maxwell Owusu Ansah (born 14 September 1984), known by his stage name Lethal Bizzle, is a British rapper from Walthamstow, London, of Ghanaian origin. He emerged in 2002 as a grime MC as part of More Fire Crew, with their grime single "Oi!" ch ...
and
The Wombats
The Wombats are an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2003, consisting of Matthew Murphy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Tord Øverland Knudsen (bass, backing vocals, keyboards), and Dan Haggis (drums, backing vocals, keyboards). ...
as well as the
Jersey Live
Jersey Live Music Festival (alternatively Jersey Live) was a music festival held annually at The Royal Jersey Showground in the parish of Trinity, Jersey between 2004 and 2016.
Overview
Jersey Live started out as a 4,000-capacity, one-day even ...
Festival. They also supported
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
on the last night of their European tour at the
O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to:
*The O2 Arena (London)
*O2 Arena (Prague)
*The 3Arena
The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decemb ...
.
In September 2007,
Alex Zane
Alex Zane (born Faris Alexander L. Albayaty; 3 March 1979) is a British television presenter and DJ.
Early and personal life
Zane was born in Leeds and attended Boston Spa School before going on to study Medicine at University College London, ...
, presenter of the ''Xfm Breakfast Show'' broadcast a statement declaring that the band would not be played on his show again. After playing their single "You're Not Alone" for seven seconds, he reasoned that altercations between himself and the band over a television interview meant that they would no longer be played by him. However, during the Xfm Review of 2008, the presenters Sunta Templeton and Matt Dyson commented on the band and Zane making up.
A musical – also titled "We'll Live and Die in These Towns" – featuring and based on the songs from the album, ran in The
Belgrade Theatre
The Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built in Britain after the Second World War and is now a Grade II listed building.
Background
Coventry was the fastest growing city in ...
Coventry from 29 September 2018 to 20 October 2018. Tom Clarke was the musical director of the project.
''Music for the People'' (2008–2009)
March 2008 saw the band start production on their second album and playing six nights in a row at the
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England.
Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in the 1970s. After further developme ...
. In April 2008 the band played at Coventry's Ricoh Arena, selling out two nights. The next month they supported
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 2000 as Parva, releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their current name that same year. Since their formation the band h ...
at Elland Road Stadium. They then headlined the
Godiva Festival
The Godiva Festival is a three-day music festival held each year in the War Memorial Park, Coventry, England, named after the city's famous former inhabitant Lady Godiva. It first appeared as a day-long event in 1997 and became a 3-day event t ...
on 5 July 2008, a 30,000 capacity free gig in Coventry's
War Memorial Park. They played Reading & Leeds Festivals on the main stage in August.
Along with
Kasabian
Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and occasional vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karlof ...
and
Twisted Wheel, The Enemy supported
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”
The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
on their 2009
Dig Out Your Soul Tour
The Dig Out Your Soul Tour was the final concert tour by English rock band Oasis, in support of their album ''Dig Out Your Soul''. The tour started in Seattle, Washington at the WaMu Theater on 26 August 2008 and was planned to continue until 30 ...
, which included the Ricoh Arena gig in The Enemy's hometown of Coventry. In March and April 2009 the band embarked on their own UK & Ireland tour, playing to 70,000 people, with
Twisted Wheel as support as well as
Kid British
Kid British, often styled as KiD BRiTiSH, were an English 6-piece music group, hailing from Manchester, United Kingdom. The band was composed of Adio Marchant (vocals), Simeon McLean (vocals), Sean Mbaya (vocals/guitar/keyboard), Dominick Allen ...
. Birmingham singer
Emma Skipp
Emma may refer to:
* Emma (given name)
Film
* ''Emma'' (1932 film), a comedy-drama film by Clarence Brown
* ''Emma'' (1996 theatrical film), a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow
* ''Emma'' (1996 TV film), a British television film starring Kate Be ...
joined them on "
No Time for Tears". The Enemy were forced to pull out of Oasis's Heaton Park concert on 4 June due to lead singer/guitarist Tom Clarke suffering from food poisoning. Although the band returned the following night they were replaced on the middle night of Oasis' Wembley Stadium three night run by
Reverend and The Makers. The Coventry trio said that they were forced to pull out of their performance on 11 July because their singer Tom fell ill due to lily poisoning.
''Streets in the Sky'' (2012–13)
After they finished touring ''Music for the People'', the band took a two-year break before commencing work on their third album, playing the occasional show in the form of secret gigs.
The Enemy announced in 2011 that work had begun on their third album and had around 30 songs already written. They revealed the album was set to be released around late spring 2012, and also revealed that they had returned to their more original style of debut album 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns'. The band have signed to the
Cooking Vinyl
Cooking Vinyl is a British independent record label, based in Acton, London, England, founded in 1986 by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and business partner Pete Lawrence. Goldschmidt remains the current owner and chairman ...
record label, working with original manager John Dawkins and new album producer Joby Ford (
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
). Tracks for the third album were recorded in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
– the band will be touring later in 2012.
On 21 February 2012, in a blog post made by lead singer Tom Clarke, the band announced the title of the album would be '
Streets In The Sky
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdictio ...
', and that they would be releasing a free single, 'Gimme The Sign'. The album is also set to include tracks such as 'This Is Real' (which the band put on their website in demo form), 'Saturday', '1-2-3-4' and 'Bigger Cages (Longer Chains)' .The album was released on 21 May 2012, originally the same day as the first of two gigs in the ruins of
Coventry Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, commonly known as Coventry Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry within the Church of England. The cathedral is located in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The curren ...
. However, on 15 May 2012 the venue was changed to the Kasbah nightclub due to health and safety issues.
On 10 April it was announced that The Enemy would perform at the
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...
at Wembley stadium on 5 May.
The band performed two songs from the third album 'Streets In The Sky' before the match, from the roof of the stadium.
This was also broadcast live as part of ESPN's 'Talk Of The Terrace' show, along with the game. The album garnered negative reviews; incredulously more so than its predecessor. Some reviews were particularly scathing.
In June 2012 they announced a UK Tour, beginning on 28 September in
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...
and concluding on 26 October in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, with the band appearing in many major UK cities.
It was announced on 6 September 2012 that the single 'Saturday' from ''
Streets In The Sky
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdictio ...
'' was to be featured in the soundtrack of
EA Sports
EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" ...
game, ''
FIFA 13''.
The Enemy headlined Crooked Ways Festival in West Yorkshire on 1 June 2013 and performed at Y Not Festival in Derbyshire on 4 August 2013.
''It's Automatic'' (2014–15)
The Enemy announced their fourth and final studio album would be titled ''It's Automatic'' and would be released on 9 October 2015. The first single taken from ''It's Automatic'' was 'Don't Let Nothing Get In The Way', this available from 7 July 2015.
''It's Automatic'' received mixed reviews upon release. An uncredited article in the
Coventry Telegraph
The ''Coventry Telegraph'' is a local English tabloid newspaper. It was founded as ''The Midland Daily Telegraph'' in 1891 by William Isaac Iliffe, and was Coventry's first daily newspaper. Sold for half a penny, it was a four-page broadsheet ne ...
focused on the more positive reviews, leading with the
Daily Star's "They're having a blast and back on peak form" comment. For the music-specific
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
, Barry Nicolson concluded a 3/5 review with a less positive: "...and while it's sometimes ham-fisted, you can't fault it for being heartfelt." While for Truck & Driver magazine's regular music reviews, editor Pip Dunn commenced his 2 of 5 star review with: "Sadly it’s a bit of a letdown from a three-man band that had previously been lauded as a saviour of guitar-based rock, with meaningful lyrics."
Hiatus and Tom Clarke Solo Career (2016–21)
In 2016 frontman
Tom Clarke announced that the band would be splitting up for the foreseeable future, citing a multitude of reasons such as personal health issues, fatherhood and lack of exposure.
In the following years, frontman Tom Clarke embarked on a solo career. He toured frequently, mainly performing acoustic versions of classic Enemy songs.
In April 2021, Clarke released his debut studio album ''The Chronicles of Nigel''.
Reunion (2022)
On 30 October 2021, during his solo show at the HMV Empire in Coventry,
Tom Clarke was joined on stage by his ex-bandmates, as he announced a comeback gig on 28 October 2022. The following day, the band announced a full UK reunion tour to celebrate 15 years of their debut album, ''We'll Live and Die in These Towns''.
Styles and influences
The Enemy aim to make music about friendship and social commentary like
The Sway, 6 times The Jam
The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...
&
The Libertines
The Libertines are an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the songwriting partnership of Barât and Doherty, has also included John Hassall ...
. Tom Clarke has said that bands such as
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
and
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”
The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
have had a "huge influence on our friendships within the band and with our families. These bands taught us to open our hearts".
Line-up
*
Tom Clarke –
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
,
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
,
strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
on album
* Andy Hopkins –
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
,
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
* Liam Watts –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
Discography
Studio albums
Singles Chart
Music videos
Music industry awards
*
Q Awards
The Q Awards were the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine '' Q''. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards became one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards. Locations for the awards ceremony included Abbey Road Studios ...
– Best New Act (awarded October 2007)
* XFM Awards – Best British Debut Album of 2007 (awarded January 2008)
*
NME Awards
The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of ...
– Best New Band (awarded February 2008)
References
External links
Unofficial Enemy fan blog with news updates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enemy, The
English indie rock groups
British musical trios
Musical groups from Coventry
Musical groups established in 2006
Musical groups disestablished in 2016
NME Awards winners