The Enemy (UK band)
Encyclopedia
The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...

 in 2006, signed to Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...

 (UK). In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...

, 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
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...

 in the 'Futures' tent on 7 July 2007. The band's debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns
We'll Live and Die in These Towns
We'll Live And Die In These Towns is the debut album of British band The Enemy, released on 9 July 2007. It went to number #1 on its first week of release in the British album charts...

(2007) went straight to Number 1 in the UK Albums chart on release. In the United States they are marketed as The Enemy UK. Their song "Be Somebody" is currently used for the title sequence of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

's FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 football coverage.

Formation

Drummer Liam Watts and bass player Andy Hopkins originate from Coventry, while frontman and multi-instrumentalist Tom Clarke
Tom Clarke
Tom Clarke or Thomas Clarke may refer to:* Tom Clarke , Lead singer of The Enemy* Tom Clarke , British Member of Parliament...

 is originally from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, later moving to Coventry. Clarke and Hopkins attended Finham Park Secondary School
Finham Park School
Finham Park School is situated on Green Lane in Finham, Coventry, England.In September 2003, it became the first Mathematics and Computing College in Coventry. The head teacher is Mr. Mark Bailie, with Deputy Head teachers Mr. R. Plester and Mrs. Maginnis. The previous headteacher had been Mr...

 in the city, while Watts studied at Cardinal Newman secondary school. Swinford was found at a talent contest.

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 favor 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
Godiva Festival
The Godiva Festival is a free weekend long 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 the following year in 1998...

, and again played the event in July 2007 as second headliners beneath the Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...

. In 2008 they were the headline act in front of 10,000 fans.

Mainstream popularity

They first gained acclaim when they were mentioned in NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

as the act most likely to "break your windows" for 2007. They supported Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...

, The Fratellis
The Fratellis
The Fratellis were an indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli , bass guitarist Barry Fratelli , and drummer and backing vocalist Mince Fratelli .The band released 2 albums during their career, Costello Music in 2006 and Here We Stand in...

, Kasabian, The Paddingtons
The Paddingtons
The Paddingtons are an English indie rock band from Hull, known for their energetic concerts and loyal fanbase. In various interviews bassist Dobbs has said it is due to their willingness to play almost any venue...

, Ash
Ash (band)
Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...

, Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...

 and Stereophonics
Stereophonics
The Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band now living in turners x that formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in Cynon Valley, Wales. The band currently comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist and backing vocalist Richard Jones, drummer Javier Weyler, guitarist and backing...

 on their UK tours.

Their single, "Away From Here
Away from Here (song)
"Away From Here" was the debut single of British rock band The Enemy's debut album We'll Live and Die in these Towns. It was the band's first single to break into the UK Top 10, peaking at #8 in the UK Singles Chart...

" entered the charts at number 8 and its follow-up "Had Enough
Had Enough
"Had Enough" is the fourth single from the album We'll Live and Die in These Towns by the British rock band The Enemy. It is their highest charting song so far as well as their first to break into the UK Top 5, peaking at #4 in the UK Singles Chart....

" entered the charts at number 4.

Building on their rapid exposure, The Enemy appeared on the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

 2007 Rock 'N' Roll Riot Tour during September and October 2007 along with Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle, also known as Lethal B , is a Ghanaian British rapper. His songs are known to satirise modern Gangsta rap; much of the humour comes from the adoption of hip-hop style and language...

 and The Wombats
The Wombats
The Wombats are an indie rock band formed in Liverpool, England. The band comprises native Liverpudlians Matthew Murphy and Dan Haggis , alongside Norwegian-born Tord Øverland-Knudsen...

 as well as the Jersey Live
Jersey Live
Jersey Live is an indie/dance music festival held annually at The Royal Jersey Showground in the parish of Trinity, Jersey. The festival has grown in popularity and size each year and has drawn interest from people outside the Channel Islands with overseas visitors making up approximately 25% of...

 Festival. They also supported The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

 on the last night of their European tour at the O2 Arena
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...

.

March 2008 saw the band start production on their second album and playing six nights in a row at the London Astoria
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...

.

In April 2008 the band played at Coventry's Ricoh Arena, selling out two nights. The next month they supported Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....

 at Elland Road Stadium. They then headlined the Godiva Festival
Godiva Festival
The Godiva Festival is a free weekend long 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 the following year in 1998...

 on 5 July 2008, a 30,000 capacity free gig in Coventry's War Memorial Park
War Memorial Park, Coventry
The War Memorial Park is a large park of about 48.5 hectares situated in southern Coventry. The park was opened in July 1921 as a tribute to the 2,587 Coventrians who died between 1914 and 1918 fighting in the First World War...

. They played Reading & Leeds Festivals on the main stage in August.

Along with Kasabian and Twisted Wheel
Twisted Wheel (band)
Twisted Wheel are an indie rock band from Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.-Formation and debut album:Twisted Wheel formed in February 2007 in Saddleworth, Oldham, Greater Manchester by guitarist and singer Jonny Brown and bassist Rick Lees, later joined by drummer Adam Clarke...

, The Enemy supported Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...

 on their 2009 Dig Out Your Soul Tour
Dig Out Your Soul Tour
The Dig Out Your Soul Tour was a world concert tour by English rock band Oasis, in support of their album Dig Out Your Soul. The tour started in Seattle, WA at the WaMu Theater and was planned to continue until 30 August, where they were scheduled to play their final show of the tour at the I-Day...

, 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
Twisted Wheel (band)
Twisted Wheel are an indie rock band from Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.-Formation and debut album:Twisted Wheel formed in February 2007 in Saddleworth, Oldham, Greater Manchester by guitarist and singer Jonny Brown and bassist Rick Lees, later joined by drummer Adam Clarke...

 as support as well as Kid British
Kid British
Kid British, often stylised as KiD BRiTiSH, are a British band from Manchester, United Kingdom. The band is composed of Adio Marchant, James Mayer, Sean Mbaya, Simeon McLean, Dominick Allen, Mykey Wilson and Matt Herod.-History:...

. Birmingham singer Emma Skipp joined them on "No Time for Tears
No Time For Tears
"No Time for Tears" is a song by The Enemy from their second album Music For The People.The song debuted on Radio 1 at 7pm on the 16/2/09. Following the premier of the song, the band were interviewed to discuss their "New Punk Sound". The song entered the UK Singles Chart at #16 on 19 April 2009,...

". 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
Reverend and The Makers
Reverend and The Makers are an indie pop band based in Sheffield, England and signed to Wall of Sound. The band is fronted by Jon McClure, nicknamed "The Reverend"...

. 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. Historically frontman Tom has listened to hits by band Aqua to prepare for performances when questioned on this he simply replied (in the style of Liam Gallagher) 'Mad fer it'.

Musical Style

The Enemy specialise in music about friendship and social commentary like Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...

 or The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...

. Tom Clarke has said that bands such as The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...

 and Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...

 have had a "huge influence on our friendships within the band and with our families. These bands taught us to open our hearts"
.

In other media

Their song "Aggro" is featured in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour is a music video game developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. It is the fourth main entry in the Guitar Hero series...



Their song "Be Somebody" is featured in the video game FIFA 10
FIFA 10
carlos leivaFIFA 10 is the 17th title in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it was published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on 2 October 2009 in Europe, 30 September in Australia and 20 October 2009 in North America...

, and is the theme music to ITV Sport's coverage of the 2009–10 FA Cup
2009–10 FA Cup
The 2009–10 FA Cup was the 129th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup for short. As in the previous year, 762 clubs were accepted for the competition. One club, Newcastle Blue Star, folded before the fixtures were released...

.

A clip of their song "No Time For Tears" was used on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 advert for Lost Land of the Volcano.

'Pressure' was used to advertise the third series of The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...

, a popular children's drama produced by the BBC.

Their song 'We'll Live and Die In These Towns' was used in the advert for KitKat during the 2010 World cup.

Their song 'No Time For Tears' is featured in the Wii video game Need for Speed: Nitro
Need for Speed: Nitro
Need for Speed: Nitro is a 14th installment in the long-running racing video game franchise Need for Speed. It was published by Electronic Arts for the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms, It is also the only game to date in the franchise to not be made for PC. It was announced in January as part of a...

.

Band's line-up

As of 2011, The Enemy is composed of:
  • Tom Clarke
    Tom Clarke (musician)
    Tom Clarke is the principal songwriter, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist of the Coventry indie rock group The Enemy. The main reason for the band's formation was boredom. According to them Coventry is a boring place. Although Clarke was born in Birmingham, he has placed the "boredom level"...

     - Age-24 (lead vocals
    Singing
    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

    , Guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

    , piano
    Piano
    The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

    , strings
    String instrument
    A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...

     on Album)
  • Liam Watts - Age-23 (drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

    )
  • Andy Hopkins - Age-25 (Bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

    , Vocals)

Xfm controversy

In September 2007, Alex Zane
Alex Zane
Alex Zane is an English television presenter and DJ.-Background:Zane was born in Leeds and attended Boston Spa School before going on to study Medicine at University College London, a course which he left after a year, and then Media and Communications at Goldsmiths College.-Stand-up comedy and...

, 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.

3rd Album

The Enemy announced in 2011 that work had begun on their 3rd Album and have around 30 songs already written. They revealed the album is set to release in early 2012 (maybe February), and also revealed they have returned to their more original style of debut album, 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns'.

Albums

  • 9 July 2007 We'll Live and Die in These Towns
    We'll Live and Die in These Towns
    We'll Live And Die In These Towns is the debut album of British band The Enemy, released on 9 July 2007. It went to number #1 on its first week of release in the British album charts...

    (UK#1 - BPI: Platinum)
  • 27 April 2009 Music for the People (UK#2 - BPI: Gold)

Singles

  • 2007 "It's Not OK" (Limited Edition Vinyl)
  • 2007 "Away from Here
    Away from Here (song)
    "Away From Here" was the debut single of British rock band The Enemy's debut album We'll Live and Die in these Towns. It was the band's first single to break into the UK Top 10, peaking at #8 in the UK Singles Chart...

    " (#8 UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

    )
  • 2007 "Had Enough
    Had Enough
    "Had Enough" is the fourth single from the album We'll Live and Die in These Towns by the British rock band The Enemy. It is their highest charting song so far as well as their first to break into the UK Top 5, peaking at #4 in the UK Singles Chart....

    " (#4 UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

    )
  • 2007 "You're Not Alone
    You're Not Alone (The Enemy song)
    "You're Not Alone" is a song by The Enemy. The song is about the Coventry factories closing down which ruined lots of jobs. The song is on The Enemy's debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns and was released as the fifth single from the album...

    " (#18 UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

    )
  • 2007 "We'll Live and Die in These Towns" (#21 UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

    )
  • 2008 "This Song" (#41 UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

    )
  • 2009 "No Time for Tears
    No Time For Tears
    "No Time for Tears" is a song by The Enemy from their second album Music For The People.The song debuted on Radio 1 at 7pm on the 16/2/09. Following the premier of the song, the band were interviewed to discuss their "New Punk Sound". The song entered the UK Singles Chart at #16 on 19 April 2009,...

    " (#16 UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

    )
  • 2009 "Sing When You're in Love
    Sing When You're in Love
    "Sing When You're In Love" is the second single by The Enemy from their second album Music For The People. It was released digitally on June 21, 2009 with a physical release on June 22, 2009.-Track listing:CD single#"Sing When You're In Love"...

    " (#122 UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

    )
  • 2009 "Be Somebody" (Download Only) - (#193 UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

    )

Music Industry Awards

  • Q Awards
    Q Awards
    The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event...

     - Best New Act (awarded October 2007)
  • XFM Awards - Best British Debut Album of 2007 (awarded January 2008)
  • NME Awards
    NME Awards
    The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....

    - Best New Band (awarded February 2008)

External links

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