Making Good Friends Everywhere - The Enemy

To start with – let’s put things into perspective with a brief review of 2006. Since February this year the world has been spun on its axis by more events than Gigwise can care to remember. From Middle-East politics to Western democracy nothing seems stable anymore. Equally as inconsistent has been the musical landscape. A year for the Monkeys ‘they’ said – well what do ‘they’ know? A few festivals later and everyone suddenly wants to get their arms round glow sticks as opposed to round the neck of the ‘scummy man.’ How things change, eh?

With the year on its last legs, and while the North and South wax lyrical over who deserves the patented crown for ‘the most ‘real’ wordsmiths of the year,’ Gigwise meets up with three 18-year olds from the Midlands - Coventry to be precise, who have emerged as the years real surprise package – and guess what? They just “don’t give a fuck.” 

Sitting on a staircase directly opposite the entrance to an exotic dancing class (which creates an obvious distraction throughout the interview; “There’s some good stuff coming out of there,” drools Tom Clarke, The Enemy’s lead singer and someone you’ll hear a lot from -whether you like it or not), the band are still in the embryonic stages and putting their name about. Along with Tom, there’s Andy Hopkins on bass (the ladies favourite – the Salsa dancers an understandable distraction!), and Liam Watts who’s like a whippet with drumsticks. They met through “friends of friends” and after finding they shared the same feeling of “boredom” with the monotony of 9-5. Gigwise joins the three-piece mid-tour supporting The Futureheads where they’re far from bored, and where their reputation is spiralling (despite the fact that according to Tom, “Futureheads fans all wear blinkers”). “It’s nice doing our own tour but it’s also nice playing with different bands,” Tom intrepidly states, “It’s good to get different people to hear us, it gives them a chance to make their mind up.”

Since their formation, people have been doing just that. If you do the ‘in’ thing now (that’s check Myspace for those still in the 90’s) you won’t find many bands who have assembled over 90,000 visits and 6,000 ‘friends,’ in eight months. Put one of their demos on and it’s clear why they’ve struck such a rapport nationwide. Tom puts it more candidly, “I just think England’s on its arse and all we’ve done is give the nation a wave, a prod and go it’s a bit shit here you know, and everyone’s gone yeah your right.”

Although they’re keen to put their opinion across through their music, they state on a number of occasions during the interview that that’s where it ends. Tom confesses that he’s, “not stupid or fucking naïve enough to realise you can’t change the world with music, because we know you can’t.” Now, Gigwise feels a disclaimer is necessary here - Tom is known for his forthright opinions which people will either admire or despise him for. Fuse Noel and Liam together with a Bunsen burner and they’d probably struggle to keep up at times!