The Enemy (Live In Concert), Kubix Festival 2023, Sunderland, UK

 

The Enemy (known as The Enemy UK in the United States) are an English indie rock band formed in Coventry in 2006. The band's debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns (2007) went straight to Number 1 in the UK Albums Chart on release. Their second album Music for the People (2008) went to Number 2 on the UK Albums Chart. Streets in the Sky, their third studio album, was released on 21 May 2012 and was also their third UK top 10 album. Their fourth studio album, It's Automatic, was released on 9 October 2015. After disbanding in 2016, the band reunited in 2022 for two reunion shows in their hometown of Coventry and a UK tour. 

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Bass player Andy Hopkins and drummer Liam Watts originate from Coventry, while frontman and multi-instrumentalist Tom Clarke is originally from Birmingham, later moving to Coventry. Clarke attended Finham Park Secondary School in the city during his teenage years, with Hopkins attending Heart of England School in nearby Balsall Common, while Watts studied at the city's Cardinal Newman secondary school. 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 favour 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, an event they would play for the next two years, making their way to the headline slot.

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Hiatus and Tom Clarke Solo Career (2016-21)

In 2016 frontman Tom Clarke announced that the band would be splitting up for the foreseeable future, citing a multitude of reasons such as personal health issues, fatherhood and lack of exposure. In the following years, frontman Tom Clarke embarked on a solo career. He toured frequently, mainly performing acoustic versions of classic Enemy songs. In April 2021, Clarke released his debut studio album The Chronicles of Nigel.

 

Reunion (2022)

On 30 October 2021, during his solo show at the HMV Empire in Coventry, Tom Clarke was joined on stage by his ex-bandmates, as he announced a comeback gig on 28 October 2022. The following day, the band announced a full UK reunion tour to celebrate 15 years of their debut album, We'll Live and Die in These Towns.

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