The Enemy

Hailing from England's Midlands, the Enemy combined Oasis's bold attitude with the Jam's taut intensity to emerge among Britain's most buzzed-about new acts in 2007, fueled by two independent singles and incendiary concerts. The Coventry natives—vocalist-guitarist Tom Clarke, bassist Andy Hopkins, and drummer Liam Watts—were just 16 when they united to launch the group, although Clarke had already begun studying music at age four after pleading with his mother for a violin. Songwriting began in 2006, yielding more than twenty original compositions within twelve months. Their concerts drew notice from U.K. music journalists, leading to a contract with the reactivated Stiff Records, which was scouting fresh talent after resuming operations. Issued in November 2006, the debut single “40 Days and 40 Nights,” a track addressing the frustrations of teenage abstinence, marked Stiff’s first new 7-inch since 1988 and achieved modest commercial success. The follow-up “It’s Not OK,” arriving in February 2007, received enthusiastic critical acclaim and “next big thing” forecasts while posting strong sales figures. The trio soon supported Kasabian and Manic Street Preachers on tour, secured a Warner Bros. major-label agreement, and retained Stiff for the April 2007 release of “Away from Here,” which debuted at number eight on the U.K. chart the same day the band performed a sold-out hometown show. Warner issued the album We’ll Live and Die in These Towns later that year, followed in 2009 by Music for the People. After a three-year hiatus the group resurfaced with 2012’s Streets in the Sky, which featured the singles “Gimme the Sign” and “Saturday,” the latter also included on EA Sports’ FIFA 12 soundtrack.