大象传媒

'So what are you up to tonight?' 'Ah, I'm off to see The Enemy?' 'What, you off to Anfield?' 'Nah, the band, the Enemy.' 'Oh, alright then.'

And so it was that I landed up at the warehouse-like Nugent where The Enemy were making their return to Belfast. Having previously sold out the more homely and salubrious Empire, they were being shifted up the food chain.

Opening the night though were local contenders Skruff - a much talked about and hyped set of wannabes. They're doing good things, and 'All Roads' is a good piece of pop-rock, but 'This Is My Music' is, like most of their material lost in the industrial surroundings which destroy the subtler, at times Smiths-like, intricacies of the music. 'This Is Not OK' shows their potential, when, after a flirtation with a trumpet, this song rattles along with a fast and frantic beat reminiscent of Sons and Daughters. Closing track 'I Believe' has a little touch of Madness in there, in the intro and outro anyway, and it's really only at this point that they seem comfortable with their surroundings. One of the contenders of the local scene, more than worth checking out, but maybe not in a warehouse.

Our second support act are the similarly promising General Fiasco, who seem like an inspired bit of booking. They're a poppier Supergrass, young and precocious with music to match. It's good-time fun music, built for dancing and disposing - the sign of great pop. Their youth is apparent as they break out new songs with enthusiasm - no cynical jaded world-weariness here. 'Tell Me All The Things' is the sort of song that could be a great soundtrack to a summer - bouncy, rocky, with a vibe and feeling of youth and optimism - while the same compliment could be paid to closing track 'Rebel Get By.' If you're young, carefree, and wanting some fun - slap these guys on your playlist. You won't regret it.

The Enemy are back for the third time within 6 months, having previously headlined and backed up in Belfast, yet the old girl seems to show no signs of tiring of them. Walking out to a bit of ska (a nice nod to their roots), 'It's Not OK' gets an immediate reaction from the crowd, although the boys are trying to overcome the sound difficulties. No matter as '40 Days and 40 Nights' great pop-rock could be being played over a set of headphones and we'd all still love it - the big dumb sing-along that it is. Actually, that can be applied to all of their material - they always seemed to have aimed for the big, populist crowd-pleasing lad-dad-granddad (delete as appropriate) rock that has always played well in the UK. 'Technodanceaphobic' is another anthem for a disaffected generation, showing that they are capable of matching Arctic Monkeys for chronicling provincial dissatisfaction. 'Aggro' is, appropriately enough, accompanied by an angry impassioned display of youthful vim and fire from our bass player. Title track 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns' is stripped down with an acoustic guitar, that only seems to emphasise its standing as a call to those stuck in provincial towns with little or no hope - something that Belfast and NI as a whole can agree with. Closing the main part of the set with 'Away From Here' they rush off stage, probably to check the football results.

The encore begins with a new song, promised to appear on their new album, and it's more of the same, but with more of a Manic Street Preachers or Stereophonics vibe than before. We then all sing Happy Birthday to their tech, before going into their own song of the same name, which has a Pulp-ish sort of vibe going on, before finishing on 'You're Not Alone', leaving us to exit the warehouse with the promise of a return.

William Johnston