LIVE: The Enemy w/ The Tapestry and Franko Fraise - Manchester Ritz 17.11.15

Last week, The Enemy ventured to Manchester for the fourth night of their UK tour. No strangers to touring, The Enemy proved that they know how to put on a good night – with expertly selected sets and supports.

At 7.30, The Tapestry took to the stage, and despite the time, were met by a surprisingly full room. To say surprisingly, though, is perhaps unfair – in a matter of minutes (or even seconds) the band’s infectious sound had everyone singing and dancing along. Whether it was sheer luck that brought people to the venue early, or a genuine intention to catch Manchester’s next best thing, The Tapestry quickly had everyone in the mood for the evening.

With The Tapestry, there’s no shortage of crowd pleasers and big choruses, and as the latest single ‘Infatuation’ proved, they know exactly how to write incredible tracks. They’re feel-good indie tracks, but with a little more punch and a little more drive. The Tapestry’s set was a proper lesson in how to win over a venue – had the venue been a fraction fuller, with their determination and energy, it almost could have been a headline set.

(Catch The Tapestry at their last gig of the year at Islington Mill on 12 Dec.)

Having graced The Ritz just four nights before supporting Reverend And The Makers, second support of the night saw Franko Fraize (AKA Frankie Dean) return to woo another crowd with his laddish charm. Amidst the chants of “Oi, oi!” and the blokey banter, there’s something oddly enjoyable about Franko Fraize.

Playing through a set of almost King Blues-esque, upbeat, tracks before finishing with ‘Running’ and ‘Oi oi’, Franko Fraize banished all initial doubts I had. It was bizarre for sure, but as he proved, that’s not always a bad thing…

After a DJ set of everything from The 1975 to Joy Division, The Enemy swaggered onto the stage launching into their set with the title track of It’s Automatic, their latest album. Greeting the audience and continuing with full on, unfaltering energy, The Enemy proved to be experts in crowd pleasing. It’s almost bizarre watching crowds become completely in awe of The Enemy – mainly because said crowds consist mostly of middle-aged men who become almost fan-girls – but as the band played through the set, everyone just got more involved.

As always, songs from the band’s 2007 debut were met with delight, as were tracks like ‘Saturday’ and new number ‘Superhero’. As the set drew to a close with ‘Away From Here’ and ‘This Song’, the audience completely took over, drowning out the microphones and prompting the band to leave before the end of the song. They did, of course, return, playing a few more before finishing with ‘You’re Not Alone’ played to a pool of crowd surfers. In true Enemy-fan style the audience poured out the venue chanting at the top of their lungs: sweaty, tired, but well and truly satisfied.

Melissa Svensen
@MelYeaahh

(Photo by Steve Hampson)