This was the gig that never happened - for a very stupid reason on the face of it - but in reality it was only ever due to happen in the first place because this band care more about their fans than almost any other.
It all started when The Enemy - the band that are supporting Oasis this summer, and who (along with fellow support band Kasabian) probably embody the descendent of the Oasis musical family tree better than anybody - decided that they would play a series of 5 gigs in small towns. Presumably some kind of canvassing happened before they decided on the towns, but Tunbridge Wells was the "representative" from the South East of England.
Not only that, but the Forum in Tunbridge Wells was the chosen venue - admittedly, there aren't an abundance of choices, but there we go. The Forum is a fine choice, a venue that has been around for over 15 years - putting on lots of mediocre touring bands, the odd band (like Oasis, Coldplay, and most recently The Kooks and The View) who did OK; and simultaneously giving lots of local kids a venue to watch bands in, and lots of local kids who picked up a musical instrument a place to play. So, a great thing that a band like The Enemy were coming to a place like The Forum.
The venue was announced at 9am on the day of the gig, and the first 50 people to email a specific address got a pair of tickets. All exciting stuff, and as well as me getting lucky, half a dozen friends also did - so we were set for a good crowd at the gig. The rest of the day was spent getting excited about it, and (for me) getting the train down from London to Tunbridge Wells after work. It was during that journey that I got a bad phone call - the gig was cancelled because Tom had hurt his hand riding a bike. Most annoying, and you suspect that their Wembley Stadium Oasis support slots will not have the same misfortune! Still, it was a free gig, so whilst disappointing, it wasn't the end of the world.
As 10 or so of us were in the pub getting over our disappointment, somebody was on the phone, waving frantically at the rest of us. He had Tom from The Enemy on the phone, calling personally to apologise for cancelling the gig, and saying to go along anyway to have a drink with the band. Incredible - and over the next 20 minutes, the rest of us all got calls from members of the band. Mostly from Tom, although mine was from Liam, which was slightly disappointing, especially when all of your mates are getting calls from the main man! So, they cancelled the gig, but then called everybody to say sorry. This being a 50 person task made it all the easier, plus the fact that they had everybody's mobile numbers - but still something I don't think you'd get Pete Doherty doing when he cancels a gig.
So, we all went to the venue and got a beer. One of The Enemy's mates was DJ-ing on stage, and it was a bit weird inside - a full crowd there, looking towards the stage, in the full knowledge that no band was going to be playing. Then, at about 9:30, the band showed up. Tom took to the stage, apologised again for cancelling, and said that there was a drink for everybody at the bar. Again, something that not many bands would think to do for their fans - so full marks to The Enemy. The band stayed around for a good hour afterwards, talking to everybody, signing autographs, posing for photos, and making vague promises to try to reschedule (we shall see!). All in all, they really made the effort to try to make up for cancelling the show, and those that waited in the venue I suspect now have a lot more respect for The Enemy. Well done to them for "keeping it real". If they can reschedule the gig as well, that would be the icing on the cake.
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