Q&A: Tom Clarke of The Enemy
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Tom Clarke, lead singer with The Enemy, talks to Ed Power about reaching number one, meeting The Stones and that feud with DJ Alex Zane
Can you remember where you were when you learned your debut album, We'll Live And Die In These Towns, had debuted at number one in the UK charts?
"In a van, on the way to Scotland, in the pouring rain. We were heading for a gig so there wasn't a lot of time to celebrate. We made up for it the next day. I was a bit surprised we'd done so well. Actually, I was shocked."
The Rolling Stones hand-picked you to open for them in London recently. Did you have the opportunity to meet them?
"Yes, but only briefly. The Stones run a very well-oiled machine so they don't have a lot of spare time. Mick and Keith were very polite and did make a point of talking to us, but they're on such a tight schedule you can't really get beyond the basic pleasantries. It was still a huge honour for us. They're legends -- one of the bands we grew up idolising."
Parts of We'll Live And Die In These Towns read like a eulogy for Britain that is fading away -- a Britain of bustling factories and steel mills.
"Some people have asked us if it's a concept album about industrial decline and the like. But we don't really work that way. We just write songs that reflect whatever is happening in our lives at a particular moment. The track everyone has picked up on, It's Not OK, was written the week Peugeot closed two factories in Coventry and thousands of people lost their jobs. We have friends who were affected by that. It's something we feel strongly about."
You played a gig at Pentonville prison in London last August.
"Yeah, we were dead nervous too. There were more than a hundred prisoners, so it was a bit intimidating. But it turned out to be one of the most rewarding shows we've ever done. It was to raise publicity about suicide among young men -- the statistics are shocking, especially among the prison population. I'm fortunate in that suicide hasn't affected me personally. But it has affected someone I know."
Is it true you collect Adidas runners?
"Yeah. Right now, I'm really into my 'Adi Goal Hunters'. I've heard of Adidas 'Dublin' trainers but I've never seen them. I'm thinking of starting to campaign to have Adidas make 'Coventry' trainers -- they'd come in sky blue."
How did you come to work with Oasis producer Owen Morris?
"We're massive Oasis fans. If you think about it, they're the last great rock 'n' roll band. The only ones to have since come even close are Kasabian and Muse. But that had nothing to do with it -- Owen's wife was really into us, which is how we got in contact."
Tell us about your feud with London DJ Alex Zane.
"Have you heard of him in Ireland? Well, not many people have heard of him in the UK, either. He used to present a television show, Popworld, which was later cancelled due to lack of popularity. Anyway, he invited us on and then proceeded to mock the band. Now my attitude is that, if someone mocks you, then you're entitled to give as good as you get. And that's how it started." n
'We'll Live And Die In These Towns' is out now. The Enemy play The Ambassador, Dublin, Tuesday, October 23
- Ed Power
