Live Review of The Enemy by Rob Johnson in Sheffield
Some bands are built for arenas, and some bands are more at home up close and personal. Coventry trio The Enemy fall firmly in the latter camp. After bursting onto the scene with their stunning debut album We’ll Live and Die in These Towns in 2007, the band have built a loyal fanbase over the course of almost 20 years and four albums. This week marked the announcement of new music for the first time in over a decade (new album Social Disguises is due out in February of next year), so it is perhaps no surprise that the band arrived at Sheffield Foundry with real fire in their bellies…
Tom Clarke (guitar and vocals), Andy Hopkins (bass) and Liam Watts (drums) take to the stage to rapturous applause from the sold-out Sheffield crowd and burst straight into ‘Aggro’. It is clear from the way the band rip through this song that they have something to prove all over again. This is not a legacy act. They still have the hunger. It’s there in Clarke’s assured swagger, you can hear it in the new song, ‘Not Going Your Way’, and it’s also there in the crowd reaction. There is clearly still plenty of love out there for The Enemy.
‘Away From Here’ sounds as vital as ever, its message of escaping the humdrum mundanity of working-class life never more prevalent, while ‘Had Enough’ sees the whole place go off. The title track from their debut album, probably their finest song, sounds utterly incredible here, with every word shouted back at the stage with gusto before an impassioned run through of ‘Not Alone’ serves as a reminder of just how many great songs this band have in their arsenal. A blistering rendition of ‘40 Days & 40 Nights’ closes out the first part of the set and allows the audience a chance to come up for air.
Photo Copyright © Gary Mather
Clarke doesn’t say much throughout the show; he doesn’t have to, but it is clear he is feeding off the energy of the crowd, and when the band returns to the stage with ‘Elephant Riff’ and ‘Trouble’, the response is huge. ‘Be Somebody’ sounds better here than it does on record, more insistent, before the band closes things out with an emotional rendition of ‘Happy Birthday Jane’ and traditional set closer ‘This Song’. The latter song features an extended outro in which band and audience are in perfect symbiosis. It’s a moment.
The Enemy leaves the stage. The crowd continue chanting the refrain. It’s a note-perfect conclusion to an incendiary live performance. The Enemy are back. Watch this space.
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