TICKETS for next year’s Oasis gig in the Ricoh Arena are likely to sell out by the end of the week.

The rock group will be playing at the Coventry stadium on July 7 supported by city band The Enem

Tens of thousands of people have already snapped up tickets to the gig, with some die-hard Oasis fans camping outside the Ricoh to make sure they weren’t disappointed

Fans have been putting on pressure for the band to add an extra date in Coventry but a spokesman for the Ricoh Arena said any plans for a second Oasis gig at the stadium were just rumours.

Rock legend Noel Gallagher said the band is looking forward to playing in Coventry, the only gig in next year’s tour in the Midlands. He said. “I’ve never been to the Ricoh before but apparently it’s really nice so I’m really looking forward to it. We’ve been to Coventry before though – we played at Coventry Uni in 1993.”

He also said he was looking forward to The Enemy supporting the band and said the Coventry trio have the sound of “early Oasis about them”.

Noel, who is the older of the two Gallagher brothers, said: “I’ve never actually met The Enemy – they came to see us at Birmingham but didn’t come backstage.

“I love their album and I actually bought it in a supermarket.”

The Enemy are currently recording their follow up album to their hit We’ll Live and Die in These Towns.

Oasis’s new album Dig Out Your Soul is now available and their latest single I’m Outta Time will be released on December 1.

Daniel Gidney, chief executive of the Ricoh Arena, said: “A number of keen Oasis and The Enemy fans queued overnight at the Ricoh when tickets went on sale on Thursday.

“There are still some tickets available so we urge anyone who wants to come to the gig to get their tickets quickly before they sell out.”

Tickets cost £45 each subject to a booking fee and are available via See Tickets at www.seetickets.com or at 0871 230 7137, or by logging on to www.ticketmaster.co.uk or www.oasisnet.com. There are a limited number of tickets available from the Ricoh box office but they are expected to have sold out by the end of the week.

31/10/08: Coventry Telegraph - Coventry Stampede For Oasis At The Ricoh Tickets

In the first two hours of sales yesterday, 20,000 fans snapped up tickets to see Oasis next summer.

And thousands more £45 tickets went during the rest of the day.

Some diehard fans turned up in person at the Ricoh to make sure of their tickets, but most bought on line or over the phone.

The show, which is likely to be a sell-out, also features Coventry's most successful band for decades, The Enemy.

Cold, but with the hottest tickets

FANS of rock supergroup Oasis camped out overnight to get their hands on tickets to the band's gig in the Ricoh Arena.

More than 300 people were queuing up by 9am yesterday to guarantee their place at the concert.

About 30 die-hard fans spent a cold night shivering in their sleeping bags to make sure they wouldn't lose out.

But as well as bagging a ticket they were rewarded with a hot bacon roll for breakfast which the Ricoh gave away to the first 50 customers.

Thousands more fans bought their tickets online or over the phone and by 11am 20,000 tickets had gone.

As announced in the Telegraph last week the Manchester band will be playing at the Ricoh Arena on Tuesday, July 7, next year, supported by Coventry band The Enemy.

Amie Montague, aged 22, of Jade Close, Hillfields, arrived at the arena at 10.30pm on Wednesday with her friend Nina-Marie Jones, 21, of Binley, to make sure she could get her tickets.

Amie, who recently qualified as a nurse, said: "We just thought it would sell out quickly and we wanted to get tickets. My brother wanted a ticket and he had to work today. When I saw the look on his face when I said I was going to get tickets I knew I had to make sure I got one for him.

"There probably won't be another chance to see Oasis at the Ricoh with The Enemy as well and I thought if I don't do it I'll regret it.

"At about 4am they let us in the building. I was amazed when they brought in hot drinks and bacon rolls. I've got no regrets about staying overnight. It was worth being tired."

It is the only Midlands date on the tour of the UK which kicks off in Manchester next June.

Tickets were still selling yesterday afternoon and Coventry City footballers Leon Best and Danny Fox snapped up a pair.

Daniel Gidney, chief executive of the Ricoh Arena, said he was delighted with the response.

"This is going to be one of the biggest concerts the city has ever seen and selling 20,000 in two hours makes it the fastest selling event in t he Ricoh's history," he said.

"Oasis have enormous appeal and their tour next summer is already breaking box office records.

"Everyone who has been able to buy a ticket knows they are going to be at one of the best concerts of 2009 and we are absolutely thrilled to have been able to bring Oasis to the Ricoh Arena and Coventry."

Tickets are £45, subject to a booking fee, and are available from www. seetickets.com or by phoning 0871 230 7137.

They are also available on www.ticketmaster.co. uk or www.oasisnet.com

THE ENEMY are to play a one-off Christmas gig in a Coventry club to help raise money for a little girl suffering from a terminal illness.

The Coventry band will be performing in The Kasbah, in Primrose Hill Street, on December 23 to help add to the fund set up for Alexandra Emery, the six-year-old Earlsdon Primary pupil who Telegraph readers have taken to their hearts.

Alex hasbeen diagnosed with Alexander disease, a degenerative brain condition which causes severe bouts of sickness and neck pain.

Dad David said he and his wife Sonja, of Sir Henry Parkes Road, Canley, are delighted The Enemy are getting involved with the fund which they started to help make Alex's life a little easier and support other families with children suffering from rare illnesses.

David has known The Enemy drummer Liam's dad Martin for years - long before the band shot to stardom.

In fact, it was in the studio David used to own, The Sound Bunker, in Leamington, that The Enemy used to rehearse.

He said: "They are very busy boys and it means an awful lot to us that they are taking the time to do this gig when they have so much other stuff going on like releasing their next album.

"I was there at the start and it's lovely to know that when you need your friends they don't forget you."

It is not the first time David and Sonja, who also have a three-year-old son Madison, have had to cope with heartache. Three years ago their daughter Andreya died aged just 15 months after being born with serious medical conditions which have never been fully diagnosed.

David said Liam's dad Martin helped him through some tough months after his baby daughter died.

"I've known Martin, Liam's dad, as well as Liam and Tom, for many years. They were around when Andreya was poorly and Martin was one of the guys who helped me when she passed away," he said.

"Martin is a very special friend. He's one of the reasons The Enemy are so successful. He went out there and helped his son and his friends fulfil their dreams. He's a wonderful person.

"The lads decided they wanted to do something to help a long time ago and I've known for a while about the gig but I couldn't say anything until it was all arranged."

Singer and guitarist with The Enemy, Tom Clarke said: "We really wanted to do something. We've been wanting the play The Kasbah again and it's nice that we can raise some money to help make Alexandra's life a bit more comfortable.

"The only way to get tickets will be to go to The Kasbah box office in person, because we don't want anybody ripping off our fans or the charity."

Tickets are due to go on sale at the end of next week.

24/10/08: NME.COM - Record Breaking Oasis Add Coventry Show To 2009 Tour

Oasis have revealed that their UK and Irish stadium tour has broken box office records - and they've added yet another date for summer 2009.

The band will now play Coventry's Ricoh Arena Stadium with support from hometown boys The Enemy on July 7.

Tickets for that show go on sale at 9am on October 30.

Sunderland, Edinburgh and Dublin are now also sold out, along with the original two nights at Manchester's Heaton Park and London's Wembley Stadium, which reached capacity earlier this afternoon.

Oasis have since added third nights in Manchester (June 4) and London (July 9) at the same venues.

With tickets going on sale at 10am (BST) this morning (October 24), the band had sold half a million tickets by 3pm.

Oasis co-promoter Chris York of SJM Concerts speculated that "this has to be the most tickets ever sold by an artist in the UK in one day".

A spokesperson for the band added: "This proves Oasis continue to go from strength to strength and increase in popularity. Following their fantastically received arena tour this autumn and critically acclaimed new album, these will be the must-see shows of 2009."

The full Oasis tour is now:

Manchester Heaton Park (June 4, 6, 7)
Sunderland Stadium Of Light (10)
Cardiff Millennium Stadium (12)
Edinburgh Murrayfield Stadium (17)
Dublin Slane Castle (20)
Coventry Ricoh Arena Stadium (July 7)
London Wembley Stadium (9, 11, 12)

The Enemy are set to headline an indoor winter music festival that has proved so popular it has already sold out.

Extra tickets for The Big Reunion - taking place for the eighth year at Butlins in Skegness this November - have gone on sale after the initial 11,000 were snapped up by eager fans.

The Enemy join an eclectic line-up ranging from Reverend And The Makers and The Holloways, to DJs Judge Jules, Dave Pearce and Tim Westwood to Chesney Hawkes and Pat Sharpe.

Peter Hook from New Order is also DJing at the event - held over the weekends of Friday 21 and Saturday 22 and Friday 28 and Saturday 29 of November - and Pendulum will also be playing.

Paul Little, Big Reunion event organiser, said: "The fact that we have sold out so early shows there is still an appetite among UK festival goers for long-standing events with great line-ups. I am delighted to welcome back all of our friends to what will be another fantastic Big Reunion."

Extra tickets are now on sale at www.thebigreunion.co.uk or by calling 0844 871 6633.

30/09/08: Coventry Telegraph - The Enemy Auction Guitar For Charity

By Jenny Waddington

A SIGNED guitar by Coventry chart-topping band The Enemy is just one item from an impressive haul of goodies being auctioned at an annual charity event.

Kenilworth resident Judy Woolfenden is hosting her 15th Charity Entertainment Auction of Leisure Pursuits and Memorabilia next month.

The disabled 59-year-old, who was made an MBE last year for services to other disabled people in the West Midlands, is hoping to raise thousands for good causes.

After she was told by doctors she would not live to see 40, the determined woman started organising scores of fundraising activities.

Through the Judy Woolfenden Challenge, she takes part in several physical challenges each year and holds charity auctions in a bid to help others.

Judy, of Lunn Avenue, said: "I have been given a lot of fantastic donations from businesses across the region and even from groups and companies further away.

"I organise this event and many others, because I want to raise as much money as possible for some good causes.

"It was three weeks before my 40th birthday that doctors said I would not live to see 40 and I thought, 'what do you know?' I was determined to prove them wrong.

"Since then I have pushed myself and taken part in as many activities as possible."

The auction is being staged on October 15, at the Stoneleigh Deer Park Golf Club, near Coventry, starting at 7.30pm.

Some of the items include a long weekend away for six people at South Newlands Farm near York, a signed rugby ball from the England rugby squad and a flag from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, signed by Jack Nicklaus.

Before the event, there will be a valuation session at the same venue from 10am until 5pm.

All money raised from the event will go to the Judy Woolfenden Challenge and distributed early next year to charities, which include Coventry Friends of Home Farm Trust, Gurkha Welfare Trust, Disabled Living Foundation, Charlecote Ward at Warwick Hospital and Riding for the Disabled Association.

Entry is £1 per person and includes a programme. For a meal at the event, book in advance by calling 024 7663 9991.

The Enemy - New Album and New Tour Announced

*pic: Guy Eppel

*pic: Ben Weller

Tom Clarke spoke about the upcoming album saying, "We’re preparing to record our second album in October/November and coz I already have both the album title and 99% of the tunes down I’m going through loads of artwork ideas."

THE Enemy will aim to swagger into ‘difficult second album’ territory next year, when they release the follow-up to their critically and commercially well-received debut, We’ll Live And Die In These Towns.

The Coventry Brit-rock trio whose anthemic array of singles singled them out as The Jam for the noughties generation, have announced a UK tour to coincide with the spring release of the as-yet-untitled sophomore LP.

The three-piece led by Tom Clarke, will play two dates at the newly refurbished Academy 1 on March 21 and 22.

The first inking of new material, 'Sing When You're In Love/Sing When You're Out Of Love', has been aired at shows over the last six months.

The Enemy play Academy 1 on Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22. Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 19 at 9am.

28/08/08: Rolling Stone - Breaking Band Profile

Who:

Coventry, England indie punk trio the Enemy, who, in the span of a year, quickly went from forming the band to opening for the Rolling Stones to topping the British music charts.

Sounds Like:

Already branded by the U.K. press as the newest reincarnation of Oasis, the Enemy combine that band's knack for Lennon/McCartney hooks with the youthful angst of the Buzzcocks and the social awareness of Joe Strummer, as evidenced by their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.

Vital Stats:

• Singer/guitarist Tom Clarke doesn't feel much solidarity with other groups of his generation. "Most bands in the last ten years, particularly English bands, are just talking about complete drug-induced nonsense. In terms of actual agendas, there hasn't been anything since the Clash and the Sex Pistols," Clarke says. "I don't understand why we are in a minority of bands that are actually singing about social commentary and political issues."

• Despite their chart-topping success, Clarke measures his band's impact in another way. "I think the ongoing achievement we've strived for has changed. I think whether you can change one person's mind or minds on mass, " he says. "I think some of the most rewarding things that happens is when somebody comes up to you and says 'That song means so much to me.'"

• The band was selected to open up for the Rolling Stones at London's O2 Arena in what was the Stones last concert date of their 2007 European tour. Sold-out shows throughout England ensued, including a benefit concert to raise awareness to the problem of teen suicide.

Hear It Now: We'll Live and Die in These Towns is in stores and on digital music services now. Click above for exclusive video of the Enemy, including how the closing of a car factory inspired them and for clips from their videos for "Away From Here" and "It's Not OK."

24/08/08: gigwise.com - The Enemy Hail Peugeot Workers At Reading Festival 2008

The Enemy paid tribute to the former Peugeot workers who were made redundant from the car manufacturer’s Coventry plant as they played the Reading Festival yesterday (August 22nd).

Before playing ‘It’s Not OK’, the band’s frontman, Tom Clarke, told the crowd how the song meant the same today as when he wrote it in 2005.

Extensive job cuts at the company have since caused the closure of the factory in the Ryton district of the city.

The trio, who all hail from Coventry, gave an impressive performance as they stepped up to the festivals main-stage.

Their 30-minute set featured most of the songs from their number one debut album ‘We’ll Live And Die In These Towns’, including ‘Away From Here’ and ‘This Song’.

Clarke, who encouraged the crowd to sing along at every possibility, only appeared fazed when his acoustic guitar failed to work.

But he overcame the problem by joking that the credit crunch had struck the festivals organisers.

22/08/08: NME.COM - The Enemy Get Reading Festival Crowd Singing

The Enemy gave the Main Stage crowd at the Reading Festival their first mass-singalong this afternoon (August 22) - but the band’s set was marred when a heckler threw a bottle at frontman Tom Clarke shortly before their final song.

Opening their set with debut single 'Away From Here', the Coventry trio led the crowd through a set that relied heavily on their 2007 debut album 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns'.

The stage, decked out in Union Jack flags and a huge black and white backdrop with the band's name on it, proved fitting for the socially-conscious trio, although frontman Clarke kept the banter at a minimum during the set.

Album tracks including 'Pressure' and 'Technodanceaphobic' were received well by the crowd, but the best response came after the band performed a stripped-down, acoustic version of recent single 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns'.

After the band paused briefly to dedicate 'It's Not OK' to workers at Peugeot Coventry, a member of the crowd threw a bottle at Clarke, hitting his guitar. The frontman responded by calling the offender a "fucking cunt", before launching into an impassioned version of the song.

The Enemy played:

'Away From Here'
'40 Days & 40 Nights'
'Pressure'
'Technodanceaphobic'
'Had Enough'
'Aggro'
'This Song'
'We'll Live And Die In These Towns'
'It’s Not OK'
'You're Not Alone'


15/08/08: Belfast Telegraph - Rock Fans Turn Out To Love The Enemy

By Matthew McCreary

Rockers and revellers turned out in force once again last night for the second evening of Northern Ireland’s biggest summer music festival this year.

Belsonic kicked off at Custom House Square for day two of its three-date run at the redeveloped city centre site.

Coventry band The Enemy were the star turn last night with hits from their top-selling debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.

The band were supported by guests Reverend and the Makers, Future of the Left and local acts Fighting with Wire and General Fiasco.

The square has been transformed into a 5,000-capacity concert venue for the event, complete with massive stage and bar and food stalls.

Local rock history was made on Monday night when top US alt rockers The Flaming Lips took the stage for their first gig in Northern Ireland and their only Irish date of 2008.

The group dazzled fans with a spectacular set, which kicked off with a memorable entrance from frontman Wayne Coyne as he ‘crowd-surfed’ inside a massive plastic bubble. The festival will continue tonight when Liverpool group The Zutons hit town. The festival has been hailed as Belfast’s main music event this summer.

10/08/08: NewsOK.com - CD Review: 'We'll Live and Die in These Towns'

Tom Clarke's vocal delivery is full of classic British-punk attitude reminiscent of Wreckless Eric and The Damned in the '70s heyday of Stiff Records, but he's capable of much more sophisticated string-bending than those acts could handle, if his U.S. debut at the center of a three-man revival of English pub pugnaciousness called The Enemy UK is any indication.

In fact, two of the best songs on "We'll Live and Die in These Towns” (the lean, spring-loaded "40 Days & 40 Nights” and the rabble-rousingly spirited "It's Not OK”) were released as indie singles in 2006-07 on England's legendary outlaw label Stiff, launch pad for those aforementioned bands as well as Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. And, The Enemy UK got its start in a Coventry pub, so how's that for impeccable credentials?

Fired by the slapshot drumming of Liam Watts and low-thunder bass fingering of Andy Hopkins, Clarke's rants against dead-end workaday drudgery ("Away From Here”) and the debilitating stress of daily living ("Pressure”) provide the perfect safety valve for those uninhibited enough to bounce off the walls and ceiling in time to the irresistible drive of these cathartic punk-pop gems.

Just barely into their 20s, with enough photogenic appeal to make the little girls understand, this mop-topped threesome could very well be on the verge of making Green Day move over.

— Gene Triplett

10/08/08: Filter-Mag.com - The Enemy UK, Los Angeles, CA - Review

It was the trio's first ever US gig, with the Coventry band performing at Chicago festival Lollapalooza.

Tom said: "I managed to slash the end off my finger playing guitar, there was f***ing blood everywhere.

"The doctor looked at it after the set and said I'd have to miss a couple of gigs. I said I'd miss one but I'm not missing LA."

The pint-sized group were forced to cancel their appearance at the Osheaga Festival in Montreal, but stuck to their guns and went ahead with their Los Angeles show at the Troubadour.

He added: "I don't really care if my finger's p***ing blood - it's not the end of the world, it's an occupational hazard."

06/08/08: Spinner.Com - The Enemy Make Friends In America


They've supported the Rolling Stones, been on the cover of NME twice and had a number one album in the UK, but this weekend's appearance at Lollapalooza marked the debut appearance of British rock trio the Enemy, in the USA.

The band, fronted by Tom Clarke, has been riding high on their debut album, 'We'll Live and Die In These Towns,' which hit U.S. shelves this week. And starting the band's seven date Stateside tour at a festival seemed perfect for an act, who spent all summer hitting big music events across the world. "They're pretty good," Clarke tells Spinner of his festival tour schedule. "There's normally a lot of mud and it rains, and it's bit sh---- like that. But when you get to a [certain] level, there's a lot of people that want to slag you off. It's a good time to change a lot of people's minds."

Clarke says he was proven right thanks to the message he's received on the Enemy's MySpace, which yes, the band checks themselves. And it was comments they got from early American fans that made them want to come Stateside so much, even though -- like many UK acts -- they'll lose money.

"It's not even a risk that you take, it's a price that you pay," Clarke says. "If they can appreciate the music then we can make the effort and spend a bit of money and go over and play. I think America's one of the most intriguing countries in the world."

In fact, the frontman said he wishes he could have come over sooner. "If I had it my way, we would probably have come out a little bit earlier," he says. "But the way that we've done it is we've absolutely conquered the UK. We've had a number one record, we've sold a lot of albums -- it's a platinum record. It's a big achievement in a market where no one's buying music. It's really just a case now of whether people in the States get it. I imagine it's going to be a pretty brilliant tour."


05/08/08: MusicSnobbery.com - The Enemy @ Download Festival, New Jersey, USA

- Lollapalooza 2008: Day 1 - The Enemy UK

By

There are only five days to go to the festival which includes a performance by city band The Enemy. But today councillors are listening to a barrage of protests.

The Enemy are expected to attract a crowd of up to 30,000 people on Saturday night - the highlight of the three-day festival.

But people who live near the park are furious that festival organisers want the bass to thump out at up to 80 decibels at the open-air festival at the War Memorial Park.

And even the council's own noise nuisance monitoring team has lodged official objections.

The councillors, who have to approve an entertainment licence, have the power to tell the organisers to pipe down.

About 20 people living near the park have objected to the Godiva Festival, and even the council's own environmental protection team has joined in.

Tense negotiations have been going on between festival organisers and the council's noise nuisance team about sound levels.

Protesters are angry that organisers CV One - who only put in their application on May 6 - want the music to be even louder this year than last, when The Enemy performed to a much smaller crowd.

CV One is asking for noise levels to be 73 decibels on Friday and Saturday nights, with the bass lines able to thump out at 80 decibels at the nearest occupied house.

For local residents that's the noise equivalent of hearing a car constantly whizzing past their houses as they stand on the doorstep.

Mick Emerson, of CV One, said the event could not go ahead in the form planned without a fresh entertainment licence.

This year the main stages are being moved to the southern quarter of the park, and the existing licence does not cover these arrangements.

But if CV One succeeds in getting a fresh licence with the noise levels it wants, it will have it in perpetuity for all future Godiva Festivals.

Most of the protests have come from residents in Armorial Avenue, Styvechale, who have been the most vocal objectors in previous years.

By moving the festival from the centre of the park to the southern end this year, the organisers believe the noise would be reduced for locals.

One protester who attended last year's festival with her young children wrote to object about this year's event.

She said: "It is great to have a band like this (The Enemy) from Coventry play for free in their home town but the volume of the bass was really over the top."

Others complained about traffic arrangements, security, and the drunken behaviour of some people at the festival last year.

Mr Emerson said higher sound levels were needed because of the lie of the land and "partly because of the size of the audience we are expecting.

"We have got to hit a certain number of people." Some of the protesters have suggested the festival should
move to Coombe Park or even to the Ricoh Arena. Mr Emerson said that would spoil the nature of the event.

He said: "If it was held in the Ricoh, it's not really a festival, it's more of a stadium event.

"If it was held at Coombe, half the budget would be spent on buses to get people there for free, or you would be having people coming by car.

"I am adamant that if we want a festival in Coventry, in the format that it's in, it has to go in the War Memorial Park."

The Coventry band got the audience instantly dancing with openers 'Away From Here' and '40 Days And Nights' but it wasn't until late in the set that chaos truly ensued.

Following two of their more relaxed songs 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns' and 'This Song', singer Tom Clarke challenged the crowd to chant along to the rest of their set louder than any other audience this year, starting with their latest offering 'Sing When You're In Love'.

After the student masses complied Tom told them: "You lot are quality. It's got me thinking that more bands should come down here."

But the real fun was reserved for set closer 'You're Not Alone' which Tom dedicated to the pit security, telling the drunkest audience of the three-day festival: "Give these guys a big hand and then make them work harder. I want to see everyone going over the top. I'll meet you at the beach."

Hundreds duly obeyed, including Virtual Festivals, with fans being picked up and hurled forwards into the safe arms of security as The Enemy closed the festival in fitting style.

The band were preceded by One Night Only and Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong, who drew in huge crowds, but the arguable highlight of the day was folk troubadour Johnny Flynn, who showcased tracks from his new album on another sun-drenched afternoon.

Mention must also go to Irish band Mad Dog McRee, who delighted fans with their rendition of 'King Of The Swingers, and AfroGroove, who filled out the dance tent as their vast collective took turns playing live and DJing.

The local paper may have run a front page bemoaning the festival for causing local residents distress, but ask any of the 5,000 students here over the past three days and they'll attest to only good noise at the second Beach Break Live.

BURBANK, CA--(Marketwire - June 9, 2008) - One of the fastest rising stars on the UK rock scene, THE ENEMY U.K. has signed to Warner Bros. Records. The Coventry-based trio comprised of vocalist/guitarist Tom Clarke, bassist Andy Hopkins and drummer Liam Watts will release their debut album, WE'LL LIVE AND DIE IN THESE TOWNS, in America physically and digitally on August 5, 2008, to coincide with the band's first-ever American live shows.

THE ENEMY U.K. formed in early 2006, and had written, recorded and released their first independent single, "40 Days & 40 Nights" on the legendary Stiff Records by November that same year. Each of the members was just 18 years old at the time. From the onset, the band made it clear that their impact as a live attraction would not go unnoticed. The promise was kept and word quickly spread from their Midlands home base throughout the UK. A second single for Stiff, "It's Not OK," followed in February of 2007 to rave reviews, impressive sales and high profile support slots with the likes of Manic Street Preachers and Kasabian. Upon release of their third single "Away From Here," in April 2007, THE ENEMY U.K. had signed to Warner Bros. Records, entered the UK Singles charts at #8 and played a sold-out homecoming gig in Coventry on the same day.

In recent months, THE ENEMY U.K. have exploded in popularity at home and throughout Europe becoming a consistent mainstay in the pop charts with each new single release and winning a spate of Awards: "Best New Act" - Q Magazine Awards - Oct 2007, "Best British Debut Album of 2007 at the XFM Awards and "Best New Band" at the NME Awards in Feb 2008. Now, they have their sights fixed on America.

WE'LL LIVE AND DIE IN THESE TOWNS entered the UK album charts at #1. The band has toured extensively in Japan, Europe and the UK, and has already appeared on the cover of the NME an unprecedented 5 times. Get to know THE ENEMY U.K., infiltrating your town soon: Dates listed below.

Fri   Aug 1   Lollapalooza                        Chicago, IL
Sat   Aug 2   Download Festival                   Camden, NJ/Philly
Sun   Aug 3   Great Scott                         Boston, MA
Mon   Aug 4   Parc Jean Drapeau Osheaga Festival  Montreal, QC, CAN
Wed   Aug 6   Troubadour                          Los Angeles, CA
Thur  Aug 7   330 Ritch Street                    San Francisco, CA
Sat   Aug 9   TBC                                 TBC
Mon   Aug 11  Bowery Ballroom                     NYC

"This will be the genesis of a thousand bands in Britain, The Enemy are the sound of British Rock n Roll." - NME

THE ENEMY U.K. will be available for press.

www.theenemy.com

Andy Hopkins wears a T-shirt with a hidden story *pic: Piia http://deadflower.cjb.net/

Coventry fans of The Enemy were left perplexed at the recent Ricoh Arena gigs by a T-shirt worn by bassist Andy Hopkins. As seen in the picture above, Andy Hopkins had printed on his T-shirt "Free The Finbarr's Two". It set tongues wagging following the hugely successful tour and now we can reveal the story behind the t-shirt.

Long time friend of The Enemy, John Kelly, is the reason Andy wore the t-shirt "Free The Finbarr's Two". John used to sell T-shirts for the band at the early gigs but was recently jailed for a year for disorder. Known for his charity work and described as "a really peaceful lad", Tom Clarke went on to explain the story of how the incident happened at the end of a night when things were heated. There was some kind of incident and "I think he had a momentary lapse."

Kelly picked up a metal stand used to secure the velvet rope into the club and brandished it. The incident was caught on CCTV and Kelly was jailed for a year.



John Kelly

"He's in prison now. He probably won't serve the full year because it's a first
offence, but I just think it's terrible that a momentary lapse ..... I think
that when you disrupt the community you should have to put something back -
maybe a bit of community service - then he might have thought twice about
jumping in. I just think it's really unfair to have a good lad, who's helped the
community anyway, put away for a year."



The Enemy dedicated "This Song" to John Kelly at the Ricoh gig while his family were among the 8,000 fans in attendance. So now you know why Andy Hopkins had the words "Free The Finbarr's Two" printed on his T-shirt, and a very fitting tribute to John Kelly who had sold many T-shirts for The Enemy.

I think I may have even bought a T-shirt from John back at the early Colosseum gig...................

Andy Hopkins will be pleased as Gio - Goi won "Best Fashion Label", we think Gio - Goi should send The Enemy some free clothing since the band are often seen wearing this brand - as seen in the picture below: