Coventry band, The Enemy have announced tour dates and a 4th album are on the way later this year. The band are also returning to Warner Bros music via VAM records and look set to win over a new audience with their definitive rock sound. Music manager John Dawkins has described the latest album saying, "new album is frightening. Cant wait to unleash. Even the give away track on pre order launch are strong" on Twitter.
With three top 10 albums already under their belts, The Enemy look set for a fourth if the free track 'Don't Let Nothing Get In The Way' is anything to go by. Fans have been pre-ordering the new album, 'It's Automatic' from various websites and Pledge Music have signed copies, t-shirts and UK tour VIP upgrades - allowing fans to get access to the soundcheck before a show on the UK tour and a photo with the band.
The twelve date tour kicks off at Fibbers, York on the 16th of November and concludes on the 1st December at Rock City in Nottingham. Popular locations such as London, Manchester and Glasgow form part of the tour and home fans will be pleased to know The Enemy will be performing in Coventry on Saturday 21st November 2015. Tickets go on general sale at 9am Friday 10th July 2015, but fans who sign up at http://bit.ly/EnemySignUp can get pre-sale access on Wednesday 8th July 2015 from 9am.
FULL TOUR DATES:
November: 16th - Fibbers, York 17th - The Ritz, Manchester 18th – HMV, Birmingham 20th – Forum, London 21st – Empire, Coventry 22nd – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth 24th – Riverside, Newcastle 25th – Stylus, Leeds 26th - Garage, Glasgow 28th – Leadmill, Sheffield 29th – Waterfront, Norwich December: 1st – Rock City, Nottingham
The Enemy stormed the UK official album chart this week with their third album 'Streets In The Sky'. The Coventry band entered the chart at number 9 , having signed to Cooking Vinyl - the home of Reverend And The Makers and The Prodigy.
The Enemy spoke earlier saying,"we just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's bought the new record and done such an incredible job supporting us and helping put independent guitar music back in the charts." Tom, Andy and Liam met fans during the week at album signings in Coventry, Manchester, London and Glasgow. Amazon also had 'Streets In The Sky' as their album of the week and helped increase sales as the midweek chart had The Enemy at number 4. There were twelve new entries on the official UK charts this week.
Speaking about the album chart position, Tom Clarke said, "we always knew this album would be a struggle, and to be honest we always hoped it would get in the top ten." He thanked fans for buying the album and supporting the band.
It looks like Andy Hopkins could be partying into the night after Monday's Coventry gig next week as he takes up a DJ slot with his good friend John Dawkins at S7ven nightclub. The popular Coventry venue was the location for The Enemy video Gimme The Sign shoot in February and will be hosting a free night of live entertainment, including local band This Modern Youth. Fans will have already been treated to music from The Enemy, Reverend And The Makers and local band The Antics earlier in the evening at the Coventry gig.
The Enemy were forced to change gig venues at the last minute, "because of noise restrictions imposed by Coventry Council and certain health and safety aspects" and switched indoors to local entertainment spot Kasbah. The band have performed at Kasbah several times and the venue will also be hosting after parties.
S7ven released this statement today (15/05/12): "S7VEN Coventry and Panic have decided it would be unfair to charge people to our planned after parties, so instead we are host one big FREE after party on the Monday 21st. doors 10:15 pm directly after the gig. Live music from This Modern Youth to warm up then a massive DJ set from The Enemy themselves. £2.50 on selected bottles £1 on shots. If anyone had brought advance tickets to the after parties please bring you tickets to the after party and we will refund them."
The local newspaper published this article about what the fans thought of The Enemy's comeback gig at S7ven in Coventry. Warren Manger who was at the gig and wrote the story, has championed the music scene in Coventry for a long time. His review of The Enemy at S7ven is also reproduced below (read The Music Abyss for more from Coventry's music scene)
COVENTRY kids The Enemy stepped back onto the stage to treat hundreds of fans to a compelling comeback show.
A capacity crowd packed bar S7ven at the old city fire station for the momentous show, which saw The Enemy debut five tracks from their eagerly-awaited third album.
Meanwhile, an estimated 30,000 fans tuned in online to watch the gig – which was recorded for the band’s new music video, Gimme The Sign.
They were treated to a host of classic Enemy tracks, plus five new tracks from their third album, due later this year.
After the show on Thursday night, many fans took to Twitter hailing it a huge success.
Rob McArdle, from The Enemy unofficial blog, said: “The crowd went wild – lots of crowd surfing and new tunes are mint.
“The band ripped it up, the place was exploding with energy.”
The Enemy announced the intimate gig online three weeks ago.
Tickets went on sale immediately and sold out in seconds.
Fans began queuing outside the venue long before the doors opened at 8pm to secure a spot at the front and get their faces on the video.
During the show they were treated to a sneak peak at five new tracks including This Is Real, Saturday and Bigger Cages, Longer Chains.
After the gig The Enemy frontman Tom Clarke tweeted: “Thank you to everyone at the video shoot.
“Amazing, you lot made it epic! Can’t praise you enough.”
The comeback gig prompted such excitement The Sun’s showbiz editor Gordon Smart even sought some relief from the scandal that has engulfed the newspaper by heading to Coventry to see the show.
He saw the band – Clarke, bassist Andy Hopkins and drummer Liam Watts – produce arguably their most thrilling show since their Godiva Festival slot in 2007.
After the gig, he tweeted: “Fair play to Tom, Andy and Liam. Rock’n’roll spirit is alive and well in Coventry tonight.”
The gig was hosted by the Panic rock and roll club night at S7ven.
It was organised by promoter John Dawkins, who also works with and is a close friend of the band.
It is the second big name he has attracted to the venue in a week.
Last Friday, Reverend & The Makers played an intimate set there to warm up for their slot supporting Noel Gallagher on his solo arena tour.
Coventry music historian Pete Chambers tweeted: “The Enemy are back, they nailed it tonight.
“Made me proud to be from Cov all over again, thanks to Dawks.”
THERE is something special in the air as the crowd at S7ven in Coventry wait for The Enemy to take to the stage for their big comeback.
It evokes memories of the trio's famous slot at the Godiva Festival in 2007.
On that occasion both the band and their fans knew they were celebrating the dawn of a new era, with their debut album We'll Live And Die In These Towns set to enter the charts at number one the next evening.
Tonight is all about rebirth.
Second album Music For The People featured some stunning highlights but failed to capture the public's imagination in the same way as their first.
So the band went away and regrouped, enlisting the help of punk rocker Joby Ford to reinvigorate their music and capture their live sound on record.
(Ford's influence is acknowledged tonight by bassist Andy Hopkins, who wears a t-shirt promoting his band The Bronx).
The crowd sense they are about to be treated to a momentous occasion.
They are the privileged few hundred who happened to be online at the moment the show was announced and tickets immediately went on sale.
Thousands more only heard about the intimate comeback gig after it had sold out.
Promoter John Dawkins - a close confident of the band and organiser of Panic, the rock and roll night at S7ven which is hosting their comeback - is quick to remind them of that.
"There are 30,000 people watching this online," he says, goading the crowd to go wild for the cameras.
"We're the lucky ones."
This gig may be designed to debut new material, but The Enemy are seasoned enough to know they need to lay the groundwork first.
Entering to the familiar refrain of Too Much, Too Young the band launch straight into the unbridled antagonism of Aggro before merging seamlessly into the hit singles Had Enough and Away From Here.
By the time they have ripped through that titanic trilogy the crowd are whipped into enough of a frenzy for the band to reel out Gimme The Sign - the new single for which they are filming the video.
More new tracks follow - the full throttle Bigger Cages, Longer Chains, the yearning This Is Real (already released as a demo), Saturday and 1234 Ready To Go.
These are interspersed with established favourites such as This Song Is About You, No Time For Tears and Happy Birthday Jane.
Frontman Tom Clarke has previously promised the new tracks are the most muscular the band have penned to date - a welcome return to their hard rocking roots.
On this evidence he was not exaggerating.
These new tracks - fuelled by the same spirit of rebellion that inspired their earlier highlights - are uncompromising to say the least.
In light of Clarke's recent comments on the state of the charts you might easily brand them a rallying cry for rock and roll - even a declaration of war against the insipid singles of polished pop that currently dominate the airwaves.
Lighters aloft sing-a-long We'll Live And Die In These Towns was always one of The Enemy's more measured moments.
Now, nestled alongside their breakneck new material, it seems positively slow and sentimental.
This draws a wry joke from Clarke as the acoustic guitar kicks in.
"Right, now we're gonna play you some James Blunt," he quips, before swiftly assuring the crowd this is not the case.
In The Enemy camp the sense of excitement surrounding their third album is reaching fever pitch. (Dawkins in particular is emphatic when describing how far superior it is to their previous work).
However, the band inevitably return to perennial favourite You're Not Alone to close the set.
It is more than just their standard, it is the very embodiment of their shared identity with every other frustrated Coventrian who still mourns the decline of this great city.
As such it will always mean more to those fervent fans going doolally on the dancefloor at S7ven than it will to crowds in any other city.
By the time the song reaches its climax the venue is bouncing so violently it seems the city walls visible from the window - which have stood for 700 years - could come crashing down under the force of the shockwaves.
It ends the gig on a fitting high and sees bassist Hopkins swept out into the crowd to surf across a sea of bodies before returning to the stage, carried aloft like a scene from Danny The Champion of the World.
As the band reluctantly leave the stage Clarke turns to the crowd, raises his beer bottle in silent salute and mouths the words, "We Love You Coventry."
The success of their first two albums has taken the Enemy around the world, bringing them fame and fortune.
However, their ferociously intense bond with the city remains undiminished.
You get the feeling the notion of living and dying in their hometown no longer carries the sense of dread and frustration that it did five years ago.
All that matters right now is that they enjoy the journey.
And on the evidence of this compelling comeback the boys are clearly having the time of their lives - as are they hundreds of fans they are taking along for the ride.
The Enemy ripped it up at S7ven in Coventry and almost brought the stage down as the packed venue was treated to the bands new tunes and classic tracks. Crowd surfing and arm waving was the order of the night as Tom Clarke, Andy Hopkins, Liam watts and Tom Boddy treated the audience to a night to remember. People had come from far and wide, and close friends and family were on hand to support the Coventry band.
The gig was streamed live for worldwide fans, with over 30,000 tuning in at the start of the performance. We'll be uploading videos from the gig as soon as possible......
New video recorded at S7ven
The Enemy setlist at S7ven
Fans get ready for The Enemy
John Dawkins introduces The Enemy
The Enemy at S7ven, Coventry
Tom Clarke listens to the crowds singing along
Liam Watts and Andy Hopkins on stage
Fans enjoy a post-gig drink
The party goes into the night
Fans came from around the country for exclusive gig
The Enemy announced the date and location of their intimate gig, here are the local press reports from Coventry covering the story. The picture on the left is the cover of the Coventry Telegraph from Wednesday 2nd February 2012 - The Enemy can be seen on the top right hand side with the headline 'Enemy gig sparks huge internet ticket rush'.
Martin Bagot reported the story saying: Fans of The Enemy were given the chance to be part of the Coventry band’s latest music video this week.
Frontman Tom Clarke announced an intimate gig in their home city – with tickets snapped up in just two minutes.
News of the exclusive gig at S7ven club in Hales Street, near Millennium Place, quickly spread across social networking site Twitter.
Moments later, the website selling tickets – for just £5 – was updated saying the video shoot at the old fire station was sold out.
The announcement came after the band met Coventry City Council and West Midlands Police to discuss the event.
Tom made the unexpected announcement on his blog.
It said: “On the 16th February we are going to shoot the video for the first single Gimmie The Sign and we want YOU to be there, and be part of it.
“The video will be a live show in a tiny club in Coventry where we will play the new single live as well as other new material and all the old Enemy favourites.
“It’s the first chance we’ve had to play the new stuff off the third album, which we are all very excited about playing.”
The three-piece indie band – made up of drummer Liam Watts and bass player Andy Hopkins – will make the first single off the forthcoming album available for free.
Soon after selling out the gig, Tom posted on Twitter: “All those that missed out on tickets, there’s a very special event in Cov in the pipeline.
“Will announce as soon as it’s cleared.”
The proud Coventrians filmed their first ever video for single Had Enough at the former Hope & Anchor pub in the city, now demolished. Their first album, We’ll Live And Die In These Towns, topped the UK charts.
Announcing the eagerly anticipated video shoot, Tom added: “We think it’s only right to film the video there, just like we filmed our first ever video round the corner in The Hope & Anchor. Because S7VEN isn’t very big, there are a limited number of tickets available, and it’s first come first served.
“They’re going to go very quickly we know, but we’ve kept the price low. If you miss out don’t despair, there will be another special announcement and another chance to see us in the heart of Coventry very soon.”
The band has also promised a series of performances across the UK and festival appearances.
The new single will be made available to fans to download who ‘like’ the band’s Facebook page.
Another local newspaper, the Coventry Observer covered the story (written by Chris Smith): 'The Enemy's homecoming gig sells out in minutes'
Tickets for a homecoming gig by The Enemy sold out minutes after details were announced on Tuesday evening.
The band will play at S7ven nightclub in The Old Fire Station on Hales Street on Thursday, February 16. The club is just around the corner from The Hope And Anchor where they filmed their first ever video.
The video for the Gimmie The Sign - first single from their new album - will also be filmed on the night.
Tickets for just £5 were snapped up with minutes of frontman Tom Clarke announcing the gig on his blog, but he said the band would be back in their home city for another gig soon.
Moments before tickets went on sale he wrote: "They're are going to go very quickly we know, but if you miss out don't despair there will be another special announcement and another chance to see us in the heart of Coventry very soon."
In October The Observer reported how Clarke said he, Liam Watts and Andy Hopkins would play their biggest gig to date in Coventry in 2012 as part of a major tour of the UK and Ireland.
Tom's blog can be found at tomclarkeofficial.blogspot.com.
The Coventry Telegraph featured The Enemy on the 'What's On' page on Friday 3rd February 2012 with Alan Poole saying:'Three is the magic number for Coventry band The Enemy'
THE countdown to The Enemy’s long-awaited third album is gathering pace.
The Coventry band confirmed this week that they will be shooting the video for first single Gimmie The Sign during a one-off show at Coventry’s S7VEN Nightclub – based at The Old Fire Station in Hales Street – on Thursday, February 16.
Tickets for the gig sold out within minutes of being announced on Tom Clarke’s blog (tomclarkeofficial.blogspot.com) on Wednesday night, but he promised “several massive announcements to come” including “another chance to see us in the heart of Coventry very soon”.
Clarke has already revealed that a couple of tracks on the album, Saturday and Turn It On, are “two forgotten gems from the very first writing sessions... simple hooky melodies over rock guitar and power drums”
The Enemy will be jetting off to Los Angeles in the USA early in the New Year for some serious recording with new album producer Joby Ford (The Bronx). The band are in positive mood leading into Christmas, saying that recording of the first new tunes had gone well. The Enemy are returning to their roots musically, while taking on board the experience of Joby Ford. The lads were at Kore Studios in West London earlier this month putting some new tracks on test. The studios can boast the likes of Kasabian, Manic Street Preachers and Noah And The Whale as clients - with a £350 half day fee, it makes true the saying 'time is money'!
John Dawkins - the man who discovered the Coventry trio, has listened to the new tracks and has tweeted very encouragingng comments about the sound of the new album. John has been working hard behind the scenes making sure the return of The Enemy is just what the fans ordered. (He is also involved with the more mundane tasks, like ferrying Liam Watts around Peterborough for his new passport .... as seen in the picture above!)
Speaking on their Facebook page, The Enemy confirmed the third album is expected to be out around May/June 2012.
It might be one of the worst kept secrets in the music world, but The Enemy's new record label have finally confirmed the news ......
Cooking Vinyl has signed Coventry-based three-piece The Enemy, ahead of the release of the band’s third album in the Spring.
Previously signed to Warners, the band first came to attention with their Platinum-selling debut album ‘We’ll Live and Die In These Towns’ in 2007, and the Top three Gold-selling follow-up ‘Music For The People’ from 2009. They join Cooking Vinyl on a royalty deal for the world release of their third album, scheduled for May 2012.
The band, lead by Tom Clarke, begin work on their third album this month at Kore studios in Acton with The Bronx’s Joby J. Ford in the producer’s chair. A hugely popular live act, they supported Oasis on their final UK dates and will be announcing live dates to coincide with the album’s release.
The Enemy are managed by Nick Ember and David Bianchi for Various Artists Management, whose roster includes Reverend & The Makers, Carl Barat, The Libertines, Charli XCX and Killing Joke.
Tom Clarke, Lead Singer/ Guitarist The Enemy was outspoken about the signing; “My experience of record labels is as follows: the big ones have got big lawyers who want to pull your pants down and fuck you for fun while telling you they’re doing you a favour. And they are all about one thing – money.
“The smaller ones are about two things – people and music. Success is possible because, when a small team of enthusiastic people care, they are capable of creating something that no big label or their lawyers can buy, passion. You can’t take 25% of net passion.
“Cooking Vinyl have got bags of passion, and look where it’s got them; The Prodigy put out some of their finest work on Cooking Vinyl, The Subways tugging at the Radio One A list, that’s a guitar band on the A list in 2011. That is where passion gets you, and right now it’s gotten us into the studio, excited, enthused and passionate about being a band again. Something which our previous label miserably failed to achieve.
“Long live Cooking Vinyl and all the proud people who make it what it is.”
Commented David Bianchi, Various Artists Management “The Enemy have always been an independently minded band with ambition and I think Cooking Vinyl mirror this as a label. Watching Martin’s (Goldchmidt) success over the last few years with the label it seemed obvious that when the band’s deal with WEA was completed, this should be our next move.
“Cooking Vinyl are allowing us to put together our own bespoke marketing and A&R team which was exactly how we started on the band’s first album. John Dawkins, who A&R’d “We’ll Live and Die in These Towns”, has been brought back in for album three.”
Added Rob Collins, Director, Cooking Vinyl “It’s a pleasure to be working with a band who are so full of passion, commitment and enthusiasm. And knowing they are about to deliver their best record to date is icing on the cake”
Coventry legend John Dawkins has been in the studio with The Enemy as they prepare for their third album and he has reported great things about the new tunes. John said the band are 'really on fire' as they write tunes for the new album. The lads look set to return to the anthem style songs similar to 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns', which saw the Coventry trio top the album chart back in July 2007.
To keep fans updated, John posted these pictures of The Enemy while they got down to business in the studio (proving they are not sat on their arse doing nothing!). With nineteen new demo's to choose from, The Enemy look like they will have a few hard choices to make about which songs will make the third album.
Fans will be able to watch The Enemy perform in Belfast on Thursday 22nd September for Guinness Arthur's Day and may even be treated to a few new tunes......
Earlier this year, Coventry's Herbert Art Gallery celebrated Coventry's rich musical heritage, from Frank Ifield to The Enemy. The exhibition brought together for the first time a fantastic selection of music memorabilia which highlighted the vibrancy and creativity of Coventry music. In the video above, Tom Clarke and John Dawkins talked about chavs and the early gigs.
For many people the pinnacle of the city's musical success came with Two Tone, when the Specials and the Selecter created a distinctive sound which reached an international audience. Yet, Coventry has produced many other talented and successful artists, from the Zodiacs, Frank Ifield and Vince Hill, through the Sorrows, the Mighty Avengers and Lieutenant Pigeon, to Hazel O' Connor, King and current chart successes, The Enemy.
