The Enemy Live @Shepherds Bush Empire

Travellers Tunes must fess up…, we saw The Enemy at the Borderline this year and decided not to review the gig. The reason being that the gig was so intimate and so personal, here at TT, we felt couldn’t write anything which wouldn’t be a great big pile of self-indulgence.

However, one thing seemed really clear that night, Tom Clarke seemed bloody grateful to have a room full of people ready to have a good time in his presence again. You could see in his eyes that if ‘Streets In The Sky’ went tits up, then he would always have this. As new song ‘2Kids’ proclaims “you’ll never take our memories away”.

The reason we have now referenced this gig (a great gig, btw)is because TT was at the Shepherds Bush Empire a few days after the Enemy’s 3^rd album came out and the band’s demeanour has changed dramatically, as well as the audience’s.

In the space of 2 months The Enemy have clearly been on one hell of a journey. They are now back to playing packed venues of a decent stature but more importantly, they have crowds willing to diminish their vocal chords on the new tunes. This has clearly had a great impact on their confidence and the belief that what they are doing is worthwhile. At one point Clarke rightly declares “Who the fuck said guitar music is dead. It’ll never die cos you’re here and so are we”.

The impact the impetus from the crowd will have on the future of this band cannot be underestimated. When the crowd sing “Enemy! Enemy!” ( a-la like Liverpool fans) the super confident bassist Andy Hopkins is clearly humbled whilst Clarke is verging on tears.  It justifies everything TT believes is wrong with the X Factor and how they manipulate the audience with a character’s back story. Cowell and the show’s producers know full well they can make people cry and feel empathy for someone when Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ is played over the top of a promo. Ultimately though, it is not real. Tonight is real. In 30 years’ time someone’s kid might pick up an Enemy record and talk to their folks about them and they will relay stories about Clarke welling up at this very gig. For the boring fuckers sat indoors being fed diarrhoea……well, who gives a shit about them.

The confidence ebbing its way back into the band is apt as ‘Streets In The Sky’ is the most optimistic lyrical content they have produced so far. They have mentioned new songs have been written for album no.4 already, so fingers crossed this momentum continues and who knows, soulless drivel like Tinie Tempah and Rita Ora can be shunted to the outskirts and The Enemy can be given the airplay they deserve. Plus, TT cannot wait to see how loyal fans are when Tinie is down his luck. One assumes they will be on to the next hype!

The Cribs at The Troxy

Crocodiles

The Crib’s Support comes from San Diego’s Crocodiles tonight and boy, do they bring the decibels!!!

The band’s front man, Brandon Welchez.  seems to be a bundle of nervous energy on their opener. And whilst their Echo & The Bunnymen meets The Horrors grooves are in full swing, this leaves you  wondering whether the bottle of red that’s half empty might just blow this. Not a bit of it!

Welchez swiftly slots back into the effortlessly cool of the rest of the band and delivers some fuzzed up Spitiualized-esque guitars which is fantastically loud. The gentle swaying of the crowd this creates becomes hypnotic by the end of their set.

Their new offering ‘Endless Flowers’ has been met with plaudits across the board and with a live show this good, one feels greatness beckoning.

The Cribs

This gig has been 7 years in the making. In 2005, TT was all set to head for the Mean Fiddler to belt out the newly released New Fellas. However, Tuesday 6^th December 2005 proved to be a stupidly freezing night to go footy training and, pop goes the weasel shaped hamstring and TT temporarily lost the ability to stand up!!! But fret not, tickets for their May gig at the Astoria made their way in to TT’s grubby hands. Only a slipped disc could prevent TT from going… TT didn’t go!

Therefore, nothing will stop Traveller’s Tunes attending the Troxy tonight and what a gig it is! There are a lot of people here tonight approaching 30, something Ross and Gary have done in their time off. Among this lot, one thing is noted and muttered repeatedly. The way they haven’t compromised and essentially, never joined in the bollox of being the Next Big Thing or the biggest band in the land that so many are sucked in and spat out the other side for. This statement is more powerful to people at this age as music ceases to be new and the bullshit can be smelled a mile off.

The Cribs live at the Troxy are great. It’s as simple as that. They smash through a Greatest Hits set as if their lives depend on it, most likely their souls. One of the great things about them is the way that everything is not perfect, even after 8years together. Some of the notes are missed but the tightness of the brothers allows the songs to still sound fresh,  as if they are being made up on the spot.  

‘Hey Scenester’s’ is TT’s highlight of the set but as a friend duly notes on the way home, it’s because ‘you bought the single when it came out and then got injured like a tart’. Nevertheless the crowd is bouncing and the brothers snarl their way through the chorus with the cheap and nasty growl that makes them so loveable.

If fans thought they were a dirty punk band with their hearts nailed to the independent cross already…. well, new album ‘In The Belly of the Brazen Bull’ takes it to a new level (especially live). ‘Chi Town’ is greeted with as much love as the rare outing of ‘Baby Don’t Sweat’. Where the hunger comes from is baffling as this is a ferocious tune and the thousand strong moshing is testament to that. Especially the black converse trainer which did the rounds…

One thing must be noted about The Cribs though. Ryan Jarman, wow. Let’s make it clear, The Cribs are a great band but Ryan is something else. He sums up the struggle of life when he is on stage. He clearly loves being a Crib but can’t hide his burning desire to be an individual. This is not just because of his bedraggled jeans and insane haircut, but it’s all part of it. There were plenty of kids in the crowd tonight. One couldn’t help but hope that they are moved enough by their current single ‘C’mon Be A No One’ to be the next punk rock singer with an unflinching ability to be yourself.

Setlist

Glitters Like Gold

I’m A Realist

We Were Aborted

Hey Scenesters!

Anna

Come On Be A No One

Back To The Bolt-Hole

Don’t Believe In Me

Mirror Kissers

Confident Men

North Of England / It Was Only Love

Baby Don’t Sweat

Another Number

Jaded Youth

Cheat On Me

Be Safe

Chi Town

Men’s Needs

City Of Bugs

The Heartbreaks - Funtimes

This debut seems a long time coming after the release of first single 'Jealous Don’t You Know' in April 2011 but at last, it’s here. During the past 12 months, Miles Kane has created an undercurrent of success for classic song structure and 60's pop, and now The Heartbreaks look set to follow in his footsteps.


The album is a joyous romp from the off, with 'Liar, My Dear'; this year’s firm favourite to feature on an animated iTunes advert. Imagine if The Kooks weren’t shit, then you’re almost there. Current single 'Delay, Delay' follows this style and takes the album up a notch. The NME gave this a bit of a kicking recently, leading with 'Another kingly-jangly indie pop band singing about nothing'. Now, we all love ground-breaking, life-affirming pop tunes but we at TT acknowledge that they are rare and realise that is why they are so special. What is on the menu here is pop music in its simplest form. A catchy repetitive chorus set to the tune of The La's at their best. It may not be reinventing the wheel but who cares? It’s fun, it makes you smile and want to sing along, and it’s independent. With the NME fervently against them, it will do the world good to remember that music is not one long Mercury Awards wankfest.


Evidence that there is more to The Heartbreaks than 60s pop heaven is in the form of 'Winter Gardens' and 'Hand On Heart'. The latter sees Matthew Whitehouse give the nod to the vocal delivery of a young Elvis Costello on 'Oliver's Army' and 'I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea' whilst the free-flowing guitars are reminiscent of The Wannadies' 'Might Be Stars'. The Vampire Weekend riffs in 'Winter Gardens' suggests if Nusic Sounds give the lads time there is a lot more to come from this band!


'Jealous Don’t You Know' is an obvious tune to discuss on Funtimes. It has the type of pop immediacy Jarvis Cocker said was lacking from guitar music these days. It saunters along like The Cure's 'Friday I'm In Love' and is a hair’s breadth away from being just as good. Lyrically, it is a really sweet song displaying the naïve youthfulness of boys falling hopelessly in love and having no grip on their feelings when the bad times come. JDYK, and in particular 'Polly', demonstrate the band’s love of Morrissey and his incessant need to be wanted by what he can’t have. Despite being entrapped by beatific melodies, it’s hard to escape the image of a young lad playing 'Please Please Please, Let Me Get What I Want' 58 times in a darkened bedroom and each time expecting a happy ending. TT can assure you all it never comes.


Funtimes is released 7th May