CityLife

The Enemy's year to remember

POCKET-SIZED HERO: Tom Clarke

FOLLOWING a year filled with triumphant homecoming shows, high-profile spats, swag bags of awards and a Versus Cancer headlining spot - The Enemy’s forthright and thoroughly engaging frontman Tom Clarke gets all misty-eyed when quizzed about the outstanding highlight of his band’s whirlwind 12 months.

About to enter the studio to record the follow-up to their Icelandic debt-sized selling debut, We’ll Live And Die In These Towns, CityLife caught up with the impish singer and guitarist for a chinwag:

Last we spoke you were about to head down to London for the swish Q Awards bash – you won Best New Act, how was it?
It was a nice surprise, I don’t think any of us saw it coming.

You handed the gong to a rather dumbstruck fan at a gig in Manchester later that week too.
Yeah – he was shaking like a leaf! We had the award on one of the amps for a couple of nights until we saw some who really deserved it. As the way we saw it was that it was voted for by the fans, so one of them should take it home. There was this lad down the front at the Apollo who sang every word so passionately, so we pulled up on stage and gave it him, before getting him a taxi – the last thing you want to be doing is wandering around at night holding a Q Award!

Since then you’ve been back at Glastonbury, which took a lot of stick in the build-up this year. How was it for you?
I absolutely loved Glastonbury. It should be an absolute disaster, considering where it is, it just shouldn’t work. When I went the first time, I thought it was just mental, ridiculous, but by the time we played I realised that everyone was just really into music.

Did you manage to get out and enjoy the experience?
We got there this year in the middle of the night and the first thing I did was go for a wander. I found this Portakabin thing that was serving burgers and wine, playing Oasis songs. The last song they played was Hey Jude and it was one of the those real, clichéd Glastonbury moments, where everyone went there own way singing it at the top of their voices – it was just a beautiful moment. The gig itself too was amazing, I don’t think I’ve been that excited since I was about three at Christmas!

Due to schedules, its notoriously difficult for bands to see others acts at festivals. Did you get any time to yourself across the summer?
I did at Reading yep. I just said to the guys ‘I’m off, I’ll see you later’. You should always check out bands you wouldn’t normally see too, as it’s the perfect opportunity.

Which band stood out for you?
The best band I saw were MGMT, they were f*cking amazing. I really enjoyed their set. It’s nice as a musician to watch really talented musicians really enjoying playing – I was just really buzzing off that.

You have announced a UK tour for next spring (including two Manchester dates), but are yet to record the new album yet. Why?
We really needed to take some time off. We’d been on tour for about two years and what it does to you physically is ridiculous. So we decided to put our feet up for a couple of weeks, but then the MySpace site started buzzing so we decided to release the details of the tour we’d already planned early and thousands of tickets have flown out without us even recording a note of the new record. I can’t stress how grateful I am to the fans who’ve bought them.

Has this added extra pressure on recording the new album?
It just makes me feel really humble, and brings home how much I love our fans. It doesn’t give me confidence or add pressure, it just makes me feel really grateful.

Can you give us a inkling of how the follow-up LP will sound?
All the songs are there now and we’ve got the pick of some amazing producers, but I don’t want to say anything until it’s all sorted. We itching to get into the studio now, we’ve all got withdrawal symptoms.

How important an outlet is songwriting for you?
It’s vital. Whether I’m happy or sad, I have to keep writing songs otherwise I’ll lose the plot. It’s a way to let everything going on inside out. I do wonder where I’d be if I’d never picked up a guitar!

You must have progressed a lot since those early days jamming in Coventry though.
As we’ve been playing together every night for two years, we’re always evolving – so there’s a natural progression in the songwriting and the musicianship. There’s an almost telepathic feeling between me, Andy (Hopkins– bassist) and Liam (Watts – drummer). There are times on stage when I’m thinking, we should milk this bit and Andy’s already on it!

Liam seems a real character, last time CityLife spoke to you he was building a sword collection and into golf – has aged mellowed him? Is it more pigeons now?
I haven’t seen him for a couple of weeks to be honest, he’s disappeared off to Cyprus. He’s the quiet genius of the band, I find myself going to see him more and more for advice! He’s my best mate and I love him, he’s a little weird and goes through phases, but he’s just Liam – he has loads of bizarre moments like going swimming in Central Point and attempting to escape from police in just his boxers! 

Last time you were in Manchester – apart from the all-star finale – you headlined Versus Cancer, that must have been quite humbling.
I loved it! There was loads of quality people there like Clint Boon, and I felt massively proud to be involved in it. The crowd were amazing, it was one of the real highlights of the year.

Did it give you a taste for playing the big arenas?
I’m sure in time we could and maybe we would, but what we’re trying to get back to is playing smaller shows. I like being a couple of metres from the front row – that’s what I buzz off, I never want to lose that. A lot of people try to make big statements by playing big venues, but I don’t want to make statements. We can do those bigger venues in time.

You seen to have a real affinity with your fans.
Yeah, it’s important the fans enjoy it as much as we do. I have a massive amount of respect for them and don’t want to be separated from them by big pits full of security. I want to be enjoying it with him.

You’ve timed your arrival with a real resurgence in the live music scene – what do you make of the music industry at the moment?
I think it’s very scary time, because people are saying ‘it’s a very scary time’. There’s a lot of scare-mongering. What worries me though is EMI, who do are publishing, have a distribution centre in Leamington Spa and they’ve just laid off quite a few workers there. I read it in a local paper it made me furious. I called EMI and asked them ‘how can I sing songs and you be representing me when you’re laying off people?’. I spoke to a guy called Kenny, who’s an absolutely sterling bloke, he whole-heartedly agreed, but downloads are killing CDs sales all through the industry. I don’t want to preach to anyone, but buy not buying the physical product you’re are bit by bit costing people there jobs.

Is it up to bands and record labels to take more responsibility though?
Yes. I’ve decided for our first single it will be a physical release only because I think people need to be reminded. Apart from anything else I remember going to queue up to buy Oasis singles and being really excited. It used to be about the artwork too – look at the New Order singles – I mean can you appreciate the art on a 15in screen? I like to hold something in my hand. Ultimately and maybe it shouldn’t be, the responsibility is there with the bands as they are at the end of chain and the chain’s failing elsewhere.

The Enemy play Academy 1 on Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22. £18. Call 0161 832 1111.