London, The Enemy’s 2016 farewell UK tour (Photo: Alberto Pezzali for Live4ever)
Let’s be honest: British guitar music is not exactly thriving at the moment. We’ve seen the demise of several much-loved bands in recent years, and The Enemy are sadly joining them after a decade-long career.
We already know the reasons – health issues, fatherhood and lack of radio play were cited in the announcement earlier this year. This gig at London’s Kentish Forum is the second of many goodbyes on their farewell tour. And what a raucous, emotional beginning of the end it has been.
Singer Tom Clarke, bassist Andy Hopkins and drummer Liam Watts swaggered on stage in a triumphant manner, greeted with an almighty, deafening roar. The energy in the room was palpable – almost on a par with what you’d expect at an Oasis gig. “Are you ready? One last f***ing time!”, screamed Tom, completely bowled over by the reaction from the crowd right from the outset – it was written all over his beaming face. It’s moments like this that make you wonder how they could walk away from it all; an army of adoring fans screaming every word back at them.
The set showcased the very best of their output; the entire crowd-pleasing first album, which Tom describes tonight as “the one that means the most to people”, as well as songs from their other three records. But it is during the more melancholic cuts, such as ‘Happy Birthday Jane‘, that The Enemy truly have the crowd in the palm of their hands. And when they’re not giving you a lump in your throat with a tender ballad, they’re blowing your head off with an aggressive anthem like ‘40 Days and 40 Nights‘. There’s not much in between, and it makes for a thrilling ride.
Tom was in reflective mood throughout, and at one point appeared to be wiping away a tear. Whilst it could have just been sweat, there’s no denying that the gig was emotional for both the band and for those who have followed them since it all began.
Introducing songs from their last studio album ‘It’s Automatic‘, Tom was clearly disappointed it didn’t get more exposure. It’s a record they all believe in, and as much as it would have been easy to just tear through the early material, they proudly play songs from it here, albeit to a slightly more reticent reception . But it’s a shame they couldn’t also find room for ‘Gimme The Sign‘, lead single from their ‘Streets In The Sky‘ album which your writer once complimented Tom on during a chance meeting in a pub – true story.
If there’s one thing that people will remember from this gig though, it’s the mass sing-along of ‘This Song is About You‘ before they’d even got to it in the set, and the performance of it that soon followed; arguably their finest of the evening. It’s their ‘Bittersweet Symphony‘ moment.
A moving rendition of ‘Last Goodbye‘, played by just Tom on an acoustic guitar, made for a very fitting finale. There were some boos ringing out after this one song encore, but that’s perhaps more a testament to the band’s wealth of material more than anything else.
They’ve left the crowd wanting more, and that’s not a bad way to bow out. Farewell, The Enemy.