Coventry icons The Enemy recently headlined the final night of this year’s Shiiine On Weekender, and we were there to catch them.
*banner image courtesy of Moments to Media.
Festival season may be well out of the rearview mirror but, in a windswept corner of Somerset, The Enemy came armed with the big guns from the first two albums only to send everyone home in glorious rage.
Image courtesy of Moments to Media.
There’s a myriad of reasons why their tales of working-class life still resonate. People are still a slave to the (non-existent) modern wage. Public services are treated like a soggy biscuit from whatever tax-avoiding private school our PM is from this weak. As such, the fury of ‘Aggro’ and the colossal power of ‘Pressure’ can still tap into the burning sense of injustice people feel.
Obviously, at the heart of the ability to connect is the simple fact, the songs are great. ‘Away From Here’ and ‘Had Enough’ still have the majestic power of 2007 oozing from them. Despite the creaking joints and incrementing fear of Monday morning, both top-ten hits send Shiiine into a dizzying frenzy. ‘We’ll Live Die In These Towns’ and ‘This Song’ carry huge emotional and polemical heft, and the Shiiine faithful are willing to rip the lyrics from their soul to prove their worth to their heroes.
Image courtesy of Moments to Media.
However, something else makes The Enemy a dangerous beast in 2023. Integrity and authenticity. The incisive and instinctive observations of the Peugeot forecourt closing or the aching longing for Jane to still be among us course through their veins with a distilled clarity that few can match. So, when the brass strikes on ‘Your Song’, a hymnal-like quality soars through the room, nourishing the downtrodden.
The music industry they knew and loathed barely exists today. It’s the perfect time for The Enemy to return and thrive. Labels, the press, and airplay are redundant. In truth, so is this review, but the power they emit is astonishing and must be documented! Especially as those at Pitchfork are devoid of euphoria. No one laughs or cries in their realm; they just sit around saying, “Oh, how funny” while listening to Andre 3000’s primary school recorder sessions. Bore Off!
At Shiiine On, the weak become heroes. Tears streamed, laughter howled, and The Enemy proved that working-class heroes are still something to be.
Shiiine On!