I was first introduced to Midlands three piece, The Enemy, during their hastily arranged support of Kasabian at the Refectory last year. Back then, despite sparse fanatical support at the front, they were cocky, raw and too much like a poor man's Oasis for a distinctly unimpressed Leeds. Today, three singles later, the comparisons persist but they serve as compliments instead. A sold out Stylus waits expectantly for the self-styled "hardest working live band in the country".Before we could enjoy the main event, however, came the support; another Sheffield band, Harrisons. To simply dismiss them as another Sheffield band, and thus comparing them with the Sheffield band, is doing them a disservice. Although they'll never change the world, Harrisons do offer something different. Punchy punk-pop, Harrisons worked through a fairly decent set, one that deserved more than the standard melancholy response. New single, 'Dear Constable', is certainly a track that could take Harrisons to the next level. Released on June 18th, it bemoans those "trigger happy car crashing kids" and asks "who exactly is to blame"; it's certainly capable of infiltrating the top 40. As a footnote, they are worth checking out just for the brilliant video for recent single 'Bluenote'. In it, they perform a comic parody of the classic football scene from Kes; in visibly Arctic conditions.
And it was to 'Too Much Too Young', the anthem of Coventry fore runners The Specials, that The Enemy swagger on to the stage. Clearly here for a good time, they burst straight into debut single '40 Days and 40 Nights'. Despite the pubescent energy coming from stage, the crowd seemed strangely subdued. When this cold shoulder continued through the next song, 'Fear Killed the Youth', there was real worry that The Enemy could crash and burn; something there high energy performance and anthemic songs did not deserve. Luckily one song changed this.
Clearly distressed at having to prove themselves to a sell out crowd, lead singer, Tom Clarke, rallied his fellow band mates into the rousing, top 10 smash 'Away From Here'. The new indie anthem hit the right note. The room didn't explode; but, compared to the preceding track, it was a relief. Thankfully this carried on for the next few songs. And the next two songs introduced a tender side few expected from the intense three piece. 'We'll Live and Die in These Towns...', the title track from their forthcoming album, is an intelligent and thoughtful rallying call. Whilst the almost poetic 'This Song' is an affectionate thank you to their fans.
Sadly, these seemed to reduce the audience to a comatose state; prompting bassist Andy Hopkins to ask "have we lost you?" and Clarke to accuse the back of "thinking we can't see you". The opening chords of new single 'Had Enough', however, brought the room back to life. Almost certain to chart in the top 10, the instantly repetitive "hey, hey, what's the matter with your face?" saw the audience explode into a sea of hands and crowd surfers. It was the crowd surfing that provided the highlight for the majority of the audience. As one was dumped unceremoniously on to the stage, the fat little bouncer was provoked into catapulting them back into the audience. This escalated into a game of risk. As the night wore on, the tactics improved and plucky surfers began goading the bouncer; one even trying to rugby tackle him into the abyss. A cacophony of jeers engulfed the stage when one persistent offended was dragged off stage; The Enemy were loving it.
At this point, The Enemy decided to retreat to rapturous applause. After a stage managed delay of a few minutes, The Enemy returned, trademark jackets stained with sweat, to rather apathetic cheers. They went straight into limited edition single 'It's Not OK' and, on cue, the dance floor exploded. The stage invasions, to the delight of the older populous, continued. Clearly, the security had forged a game plan. As the invader waited, goading the bouncer; the vicious, permed roadie got him from behind. They chose to finish with 'You're Not Alone'; Clarke quipping that "I best not be alone, so you better start singing". Surely a single, the audience took to it straight away; despite only the ardent fans knowing the words. And with that, they were gone to euphoric applause.
Despite needing some initial persuasion, the sell out Stylus were soon won round by The Enemy's sing-along anthems and thoughtful melodies. Already with one Top 10 single in the bag and an album in the pipeline; things are looking up for the West Midlands trio. A sell out tour precedes what could be the album of the summer; 2007 should be a big year for The Enemy.
