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The Enemy vs Arctic Monkeys: Round One!

added 29 January 2008 at 15.00

The winners of the Xfm New Music Award are up for Best Album Award for their debut 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns' against Arctic Monkeys (who scooped it last year with their debut) second record 'My Favourite Worst Nightmare'.

Ever-outspoken singer Tom Clarke had some harsh words on their rivals:

"When the 'Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' video came out I thought 'there's a bunch of working class lads...playing a tune like they mean it and it's quality'. I thought it was top.  

"But I was bitterly disappointed when I got the second [album], 'cos it's just dull.

"I've got a lot of respect for them because they're an incredibly successful band but certain aspects of their music (on the second album) and certain aspects of their personality in the press just come across as dull.

"They'll probably win it because they win everything and they're nominated for everything, but whether they deserve to win it is another thing."

Ouch! Over to you Turner!

Clarke did however have nice things to say about one of the other Best Album contenders, Klaxons:

"In the album category we're up against one of my favourite albums of 2007 - Klaxons. It's just full of really great tunes. Not many people would expect me to appreciate it but it's actually a quality record.

We'll find out who wins what at the NME Awards ceremony at the O2 Arena on February 28.

For full list of nominations click here.

Find The Enemy on iTunes

Find Arctic Monkeys on iTunes

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comments

1. I am sick to death of bloody Tom Clarke. He is talentless and seeks to gain praise only by slagging off creditable bands. I am sick to death of him and the other two posers in his 'band' and their Jam and Oasis tribute act. This tiny idiot needs to keep his mouth shut and carry on making crap music without offending everybody in the process. What a gobshite he is. LONG LIVE ARCTIC MONKEYS!!!

   Posted by Matt R on 29/05/2008 11:16:07 | report abuse

2. ok, maybe, just maybe, he's right. But out of the Arctic monkeys two albums and the Enemys one album, the Enemys come third.
   1- wpsiatwin
   2- fwn
   3-wladitt

   Posted by m on 11/03/2008 19:04:46 | report abuse

3. Tom Clarke?The dullest man in the world....

   Posted by NoNo on 17/02/2008 00:07:31 | report abuse

4. Tom Clarke not normal....he's jealous...that's it..

   Posted by Bitchka on 16/02/2008 10:57:31 | report abuse

5. Whilst not a fan of The Enemy by any means I tend to agree with Tom Clarke! When the monkeys came out with the first effort I thought it was one of those rare debut albums in which every song is a winner. So when 'My Favourite Worst Nightmare' came out to rave reviews I looked forward to it. But to my surprise I found it average - at best.
   For many people to say its better then'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' devalues there debut. It seems that a lot of people have jumped on to the monkeys bandwagon and have developed some sort of rose coloured glasses toward there music. 5 years down the line when all the gloss has wore off I fear a lot of people will look back on this album and share Toms sentiment.

   Posted by Ray on 30/01/2008 18:58:02 | report abuse

6. The whole 'bad mouth anyone and everyone' thing plays like an attention grabbing scam.However I think that The Enemy album is first rate -with some of the cleverest lyrics that I have heard for a long time- and is solid the whole way through. The Monkeys on the other hand have a couple of (very) good singles and a lot of dodgy album-fillers both times out.

   Posted by Steve on 30/01/2008 18:07:28 | report abuse

7. Tom Clarke is a total idiot, me and my friends just laugh at him now-the new Johnny Borrell- if I was his band mate I'd be seriously telling him to shut up now before they loose the little credibility they have left.

   Posted by jake on 30/01/2008 15:28:43 | report abuse

8. I'm not a fan of either band, but Alex Turner is a fantastic lyricist, while Tom Clarke has yet to prove that he can match up to him.
   That said, of the two bands only Arctic Monkeys could be spoken of as doing anything 'different' (if four guys in a guitar-based band can be called different) given the ferocious pace of the songs and (again) the wit and intelligence of Turner's lyrics. I've heard the Enemy album, and it's pretty derivative. I think that Clarke and his bandmates need to fight the Monkeys with music and not words, given that's what they seem to champion about themselves. Let's see if the Enemy can provide the real challenge with a second album that blows Favourite Worst Nightmare out of the water. At the moment, they're still learning to swim...

   Posted by Alastair on 29/01/2008 19:46:34 | report abuse