Tom Clarke (musician)
Encyclopedia
Tom Clarke is the principal songwriter, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist
of the Coventry
indie rock group The Enemy
. The main reason for the band's formation was boredom. According to them Coventry is a boring place. Although Clarke was born in Birmingham, he has placed the "boredom level" alongside that of Coventry:
Clarke has performed on both albums, playing guitar piano and strings on We'll Live and Die in These Towns
.
He appeared as guest on Noel Fielding
's team on the first episode of series 23 of Never Mind the Buzzcocks
.
On 14 April 2009 The Sun newspaper reported that Tom Clarke had purchased a 1972 Jaguar E Type because it reminded him of his granddad. The singer said, "in 1972 my granddad used to work in Jaguar’s Brown’s Lane plant in Coventry and I wanted a car he’d worked on - whenever I look at the car I think of him".
" an annual 3,000 mile international road rally which takes place on public roads featuring mostly exotic and powerful sports cars. Clarke is alleged to have been landed with a $5,000 bill during the course of the rally for wrecking a hotel suite with friends from Dirty Sanchez, whilst celebrating the bands second album reaching number two in the UK albums chart. Monster Energy, one of the rally sponsors, awarded Clarke and his co driver and fellow band member Tom Boddy, The 2009 Monster Energy Award for Bad Behaviour.
, presenter of the XFM Breakfast show broadcast a statement declaring that the band would not be played on his show again. After playing their single "You're Not Alone" for seven seconds, he reasoned that altercations between himself and the band (notably Tom) over a television interview meant that they would no longer be played by him. He stated that Clarke said "disgusting, offensive, hateful things". However, during the Xfm Review of 2008, the presenters Sunta Templeton and Matt Dyson commented on the band and Zane making up just after playing their record "Away from here".
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
of the Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
indie rock group The Enemy
The Enemy (UK band)
The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry in 2006, signed to Warner Music Group . In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at Glastonbury Festival, first in the 'Guardian Lounge' on Saturday and then the much larger 'Other Stage' on Sunday. They also headlined on the Saturday night of T in...
. The main reason for the band's formation was boredom. According to them Coventry is a boring place. Although Clarke was born in Birmingham, he has placed the "boredom level" alongside that of Coventry:
"There’s nothing to do. Although I did most of my growing up in Birmingham, it’s still very similar to Coventry when it comes to being bored. You’re either down the pub or you’re not so starting a band represented doing something a bit different to everyone else we know."
Clarke has performed on both albums, playing guitar piano and strings on We'll Live and Die in These Towns
We'll Live and Die in These Towns
We'll Live And Die In These Towns is the debut album of British band The Enemy, released on 9 July 2007. It went to number #1 on its first week of release in the British album charts...
.
He appeared as guest on Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding is a British artist, comedian and actor. He is known for his roles as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh, which he co-writes with comedy partner Julian Barratt, and as team captain on the music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.-Stand-up comedy:Noel Fielding performed regularly as a...
's team on the first episode of series 23 of Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
.
Personal life
In January 2010 Gigwise reported that Clarke had acquired a "ridiculous farm" and was taking a short break from music to decorate. Clarke stated that the band was rehearsing and was writing old school Enemy material prolifically.On 14 April 2009 The Sun newspaper reported that Tom Clarke had purchased a 1972 Jaguar E Type because it reminded him of his granddad. The singer said, "in 1972 my granddad used to work in Jaguar’s Brown’s Lane plant in Coventry and I wanted a car he’d worked on - whenever I look at the car I think of him".
Gumball Rally
In 2009 Tom Clarke drove a Jaguar XKR in the famous "Gumball 3000 RallyGumball 3000
The Gumball 3000 is an annual international road rally which takes place on public roads, with a different route around the world each year. Founded in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper, it sees an annual entry of 120 cars, which are mostly exotic and powerful sports cars. However, more unusual entries ...
" an annual 3,000 mile international road rally which takes place on public roads featuring mostly exotic and powerful sports cars. Clarke is alleged to have been landed with a $5,000 bill during the course of the rally for wrecking a hotel suite with friends from Dirty Sanchez, whilst celebrating the bands second album reaching number two in the UK albums chart. Monster Energy, one of the rally sponsors, awarded Clarke and his co driver and fellow band member Tom Boddy, The 2009 Monster Energy Award for Bad Behaviour.
Car Accident
On 29 August 2010 The Sun Newspaper reported that Clarke had "totalled his new sports car just days after getting it." Clarke said he "lost it in the outside lane of the A90 near Aberdeen, The car spun four times before hitting a barrier, then it left the road and went over a bollard before wrapping around a parking sign." The newspaper report said that the singer was not injured, and Clarke compared the crash to the feeling of falling over when trying to put your boxers on. He also urged festival goers to drive safely.Motorcycle Injury
In March 2009 The Enemy were forced to cancel a performance in Tunbridge Wells when singer Tom Clarke sustained a hand injury whilst riding his motorcycle.Art Gallery Bid
In June 2010 Tom Clarke backed an art gallery's bid to win the UK's largest single arts prize. The Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry was shortlisted for the £100,000 prize. The singer said winning the award would make The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum a “jewel in the crown of Coventry”. Clarke said, “The Herbert means a lot to me personally, as we did one of our first ever gigs downstairs. No band had played here before us, and not many people knew the gallery was here".Race For Heroes
On February 27 Tom Clarke participated in the "Race For Heroes" alongside stars of British motor-sport and British soldiers for the Help For Heroes organisation. The six hour endurance race aimed to raise money and awareness for the charity, which is a charity formed to help those who have been wounded in Britain's current conflicts.XFM Controversy
In September 2007, Alex ZaneAlex Zane
Alex Zane is an English television presenter and DJ.-Background:Zane was born in Leeds and attended Boston Spa School before going on to study Medicine at University College London, a course which he left after a year, and then Media and Communications at Goldsmiths College.-Stand-up comedy and...
, presenter of the XFM Breakfast show broadcast a statement declaring that the band would not be played on his show again. After playing their single "You're Not Alone" for seven seconds, he reasoned that altercations between himself and the band (notably Tom) over a television interview meant that they would no longer be played by him. He stated that Clarke said "disgusting, offensive, hateful things". However, during the Xfm Review of 2008, the presenters Sunta Templeton and Matt Dyson commented on the band and Zane making up just after playing their record "Away from here".