I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Tom Clarke of The Enemy before their show at the Troubadour on Wednesday, August 6 (read my concert review) and discuss their US tour, including Lollapalooza, what it was like to open for the Rolling Stones, and who could possible play a post-punk Brit from Coventry. With a thick accent and loud sound checks going on in the background it was difficult to hear but one thing was clear: The Enemy are here to remind us that music with an opinion is what we want, what we need and, really, what we should be listening to.
Take the time to get to know a band whose MySpace page so poetically states, “Keep your friends close but keep The Enemy closer:”
What three words would you use to describe The Enemy.
F***ing proper music.
When did you first become interested in music?
Around the age of four, I was listening to a lot of classical music. My mum even bought me a violin. At the age of 7 or 8, I found a cassette tape, put it in the player, and through the headphones, I heard Led Zepplin for the first time. I had no idea I was listening to guitar, I didn’t know what I was listening to, but I knew I fu**in loved it. From there I started listening to The Rolling Stones, Cream, The Who.
Once, around the same age, I found a reel player and played the reel that was inside of it. It started playing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club. Again, I had no idea what I was listening to but I fu**ing loved it. That was my first Beatles experience.
What other music projects have you worked on?
This is it.
How did you guys end up meeting and, eventually, becoming The Enemy?
We all hung out at the same pub every night. Andy and I used to sell T.V.’s and made about 6 pounds an hour. Instead of hanging out at the pub we kind of decided to start playing music. Andy was decent at bass, I could play guitar (I hadn’t really started singing yet) and we knew Liam was an amazing fu**ing drummer. So we just started playing in this tiny rehearsal room which cost 8 pound an hour. We then recorded two songs and thought they sounded pretty good and we went from three guys playing music together to - a band.
Why did you name yourselves, The Enemy?
I didn’t understand why we had to have a name. I thought, if you are always hanging with the same friends and drinking, do you name your drinking friends? But then Andy pointed out that no band, in the history of bands, has ever been a band without having a name. I didn’t want anything to do with the name so I left it to Andy and Liam.
Andy is the one that came up with The Enemy. I asked him why he thought of that name, I thought it was cool but I wanted to know why he decided on that name. He said that it just sounded like a balls out band and our music was balls out so it was a proper name. Proper and angry, which is exactly what we were.
What is your process for writing music?
I write my best music when I can’t get my hands on a guitar. A tune just forms in my head and then maybe the lyrics to go along with it. The trick is remembering all of that when I finally do find a guitar or get together with Liam and Andy.
What are you currently working on?
Our album is ending its cycle in the UK so we are going to finish up our US tour, take a couple weeks off and then get into the studio to record our second album.
How has your experience in the U.S. gone so far.
Fu**ing great. We were first introduced to U.S. audiences at Lollapalooza in Chicago and I was blown away that people knew the words to our songs. It felt great to know that we were already making an impact on audiences over here, that they were listening to our music.
Another great show was in Boston. The crowd was awesome. I cut my finger and there was blood everywhere, seriously punk rock, you know. The audience was right up at the stage watching us with this intensity. Overall, the US audiences have far exceeded our expectations.
What is the main difference between British audiences and U.S. audiences?
U.S. audiences are more demanding of good music. British audiences will buy fu**ing anything: There is this massive sea of shit british music that they’ll just buy. U.S. audiences expect the music they purchase to be good. It’s refreshing, really.
Who are the strongest influences on your music?
More than anything, The Who. Just listening to “Won’t Get Fooled Again” makes me want to write music. Also, The Sex Pistols have been a huge influence on our band. Aside from those two huge names in rock and punk, I get influence from other genres like classical and jazz. There are even some fu**ing strange fusion bands that influence my overall process for writing music.
How has living in Coventry, England influenced you, and your band, musically?
In the first days of writing music, everything was about Coventry and what was going on in our daily lives. A lot of the people close to us were greatly affected by the closing down of the car manufacturing plant. A lot of people were angry and so were we. This all had a serious impact on our music. I think anyone who writes about things that are truly important to them will inevitably be influenced by the place they live and the people around them.
What are some bands you are currently listening to?
Reverend and the Makers are a great band from Sheffield. John, the lead singer, is brilliant: political and isn’t afraid to say something with his music. So many bands and singers are putting out this drug induced gibberish: songs that are about, nothing. It’s good to know that there are still some bands out there who are willing to say something worth being said.
What is your most interesting fangirl/boy experience?
There is not one particular story but what I find most amazing is that some of our fans travel all around the world to see us. We’ll be playing a show in Tokyo and see the same people that were at our show in Coventry last week. Then, we’ll be playing in England and see some of our Japanese fans that were at the Tokyo show; It blows my mind.
What was it like playing with the Rolling Stones?
That was a serious military operation. They have massive security so no one gets within sniffing distance of The Stones. We did get to meet them, once, and briefly. It was also great to be playing such a huge arena but what was really great was watching them play after our set. I mean standing just off stage watching this band that I grew up listening to, it makes the hairs on your neck stand up.
Who would play you in the film version of The Enemy’s rise to the top?
I’m not a director or a casting agent. This question really shows you how big someone’s ego is, huh? I don’t think I’ve met anyone yet who has a big enough mouth to play me. Who knows.
What is something you would like your fans to know about The Enemy?
Just how grateful we are for their support. Playing Lollapalooza in Chicago shattered our expectations of American audiences, it was a great welcome to the U.S. and I couldn’t be more grateful to all our fans for making that happen.
Anything else you would like to add?
Yeah. We intend to be here for a while. There are too many bands, British or otherwise that are here for a couple months and then just vanish. We are not one of those bands, we want to leave a lasting footprint.
Photography courtesy of Ben Weller and Warner Bros. Records
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