Friendly foe
Q Award winners The Enemy are all fired up by the power of rock's ancients
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Tuesday October 23 2007
The added bonus may even arrive in the shape of a free beverage or two. So, what do you do when, technically still in your teens, you find yourself warming up for one of the biggest rock bands in history in front of thousands of people.
This is the position that The Enemy, a promising young indie rock band from Coventry, found themselves in last August when they were asked to support Mick Jagger and his ageing buddies.
Bassist Andy Hopkins remembers the experience fondly. "Tom [the lead singer] has been in to the Stones for years so he loved it. They come shuffling out of their dressing rooms and you're like 'what are they going to be like on stage?' But when they got on, they just went mental. It was really good.
"Nice lads too, but I wanted to meet Keith Richards' daughter!" Hopkins adds with a grin.
Hype has surrounded this group from day one. New Musical Express may suffer from chronic Next Big Thing list-itus, but it seems they hit the nail on the head where the Enemy are concerned. First, the debut album climbed straight to the top of the charts in its first week, then, earlier this month, the band scooped the prestigious Best New Act at the Q awards.
Certainly the three teenagers fronted by the outspoken Tom Clarke, have a heap of what they deem important messages in their back pockets. Tales about working class Britain overflow on We'll Live and Die in These Towns, and Hopkins takes a a suitably prolaterian view of the album's success.
"We knew we had an album worthy of number one but the fact it got there is really down to the people who bought it.
"We were on our way up to Scotland to play a gig when the news came on the radio. Actually, I was asleep at the time and Tom left me a note saying 'you're number one'. That was a sound moment ... when I woke up!" he recalls.
Less than 12 months after their first practice session, the boys suddenly found themselves pitched into a hectic touring schedule with some of the biggest bands around, supporting the likes of Kasabian, The Fratellis and Ash.
It hasn't taken the band long to atune to the rock n' roll lifestyle, either. "We've been out every night this tour!" laughs Andy. "When you get off stage you've got so much adrenaline, you just want to go out."
"When the first single went to number eight, I went out, got hammered and I broke my finger playing football. That was just before our European tour with Ash! I was gutted." As it turned out, it wasn't enough to halt proceedings, and even though the trio have had a spell behind bars since, it wasn't wild antics that put them there.
The night after supporting the Stones, the band found themselves playing inside London's Pentonville Prison. "It was quite nerve wracking that one," says Hopkins. "It was to raise awareness for suicides in prisons. We played with Dirty Pretty Things and, fortunately, the prisoners loved it. They all got up and clapped afterwards."
With so many achievements already under their belt, one wonders how long Andy and his band mates envisage being around; as long as Mick and Keith perhaps?
"Well, yes, when you see bands like the Stones you think, 'Jez, they've done it for years and years, surely we can make it to their age."
With a bit of luck, and, if playing football under the influence is avoided, that might just happen ...
The Enemy play the Ambassador tonight. We'll Live and Die in These Towns is out now
- Chris Wasser
