{"id":13310,"date":"2026-09-03T16:09:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T15:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=13310"},"modified":"2026-09-03T16:09:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T15:09:29","slug":"the-enemy-blackpool-winter-gardens-reviewed-by-sam-cassells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=13310","title":{"rendered":"The Enemy @ Blackpool Winter Gardens, reviewed by Sam Cassells"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nostalgia and crowd favourites: a gig for the people.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Enemy @ Blackpool Winter Gardens | Friday 28th<\/sup> August 2026
Reviewed by Sam Cassells<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blackpool Winter Garden’s Olympia Exhibition Hall was the ideal backdrop for the familiar indie Midlands tones of The Enemy front man, Tom Clarke, who promised to rock it and have a ‘f*cking good night’, and delivered! The Enemy returned to Blackpool for the first time in over a decade, and it was, if the rhythmic chanting of “This song is about you” that reverberated around the streets of Blackpool post-gig is anything to go by, triumphant.<\/p>\n

Stone steps, a floor space painted in at least three layers of well-trodden paint and the blackout curtains draped overhead to block out the late summer sun created an intimate atmosphere for a few thousand strangers who eagerly anticipated the main event – ably supported by Shambolics<\/em>, Alex Spencer<\/em> (a local boy), and the comedic and entertaining We Are Scientists.<\/em><\/p>\n

Shambolics <\/em>opened with a small set that included the song ‘Universal Credit’. After a short break, the crowd was treated to the youthful cynicism and exuberance of Alex Spencer<\/em> and his band. A few of his songs included the pensive ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ And ‘Clouded Thinking’, followed by the reflective song ‘Masks’ where the crowd were lovingly reminded to check in on their loved ones. The final support act We Are Scientists<\/em> stepped up to the plate and raised the energy, volume and anticipation for the main event. Their song ‘It’s a Hit’ certainly did that, and the comedy they performed on stage was contagious.<\/p>\n

As soon as the electric tones of The Who’s<\/em> ‘Baba O’Riley’ hit and the lights performed their mesmerizing dance, we were ready. We knew it was time! The Enemy had arrived and didn’t fail to impress with their hit song ‘Aggro’, quickly followed by the anthem ‘Away From Here.’ Both songs a reflection on the working-class values the band so successfully reflect in their songs. The fast-paced set continued with ‘Pressure’ and the determined beat of ‘Had Enough’ – The band’s highest preforming single did not disappoint – and the superb ‘You’re Not Alone.’ The hits from the first album were crowd favourites and ratcheted up the energy another notch. The crowd were buzzing and singling along at the top of their lungs \u2013 hands raised as if in worship of the gig so far. ‘Technodanceaphobic’ hit hard and worked well to lead into the betrayal of ’40 days and 40 nights.’ The next song (the title track of the first album), ‘Well Live and Die in These Towns’, was a display of musical and lyrical synergy that got the crowd well and truly bouncing.<\/p>\n

Next, we were treated to a track from the second album, ‘Be Somebody,’ an excellent song selection that fit with the tone of the whole set. This was wonderfully followed by a medley of ‘Give Me a Sign’\/’Saturday’ from the third album and, despite it being a Friday, was met by a rapturous response from the crowd. We were treated to a brief return to the first album with ‘Happy Birthday, Jane’ and it seemed everyone in there was celebrating.<\/p>\n

The pace slowed and we knew we were almost at an end. Clarke treated us to his rendition of ‘No Time For Tears’ from the second album and, as alluded to earlier, the evening was finished with ‘This Song Is About You’ and it really was. We loved it. We were pumped from an excellent set and the nostalgia of their best-selling album and other classic tracks. A great gig!<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Sam Cassells<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nostalgia and crowd favourites: a gig for the people. The Enemy @ Blackpool Winter Gardens | Friday 28th August 2026Reviewed by Sam Cassells Blackpool Winter Garden’s Olympia Exhibition Hall was the ideal backdrop for the familiar indie Midlands tones of The Enemy front man, Tom Clarke, who promised to rock it and have a ‘f*cking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":422,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[15,283,18],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Enemy @ Blackpool Winter Gardens, reviewed by Sam Cassells - The Manchester Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=13310\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Enemy @ Blackpool Winter Gardens, reviewed by Sam Cassells - The Manchester Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nostalgia and crowd favourites: a gig for the people. 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