Tom Clarke, also sometimes known as Tom Clark, is a musician. He plays several musical instruments and performs the lead vocals for his band The Enemy, which is a British indie rock band. Some of the instruments that he plays include strings, piano, and guitar. He has also had brief stints as an actor and as a poet, mainly writing songs. Tom Clarke is not to be confused with the other Tom Clark who was a publicist for Rock Hudson.
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Early Life
Tom Clarke was born on March 11, 1986 in Birmingham in England. Growing up, he was close to his grandfather and spent most time on a farm, replete with gnomes and other farm accessories. By his own admission, he purchased a vintage Jaguar E Type as it brought back memories of his grandfather. He grew up in Coventry and loved making music ever since he was four years old. He often asked his mother for musical instruments such as violin and guitar as birthday presents.
He also bought a farm in 2010 and uses it for his band rehearsals and as a space to plan out his future works.
Accident-Prone
Clarke is known to be accident-prone. In 2010, he completely damaged his car, believed to be a Chevrolet, within a few days of its purchase. The accident occurred in Aberdeen and though the car was smashed, he escaped without much injury. Earlier, in 2009, his band had to cancel a performance due to a wrist injury which he had sustained while riding his motorcycle. He is also often under the weather which leads to cancellations of shows. These accidents have made Clarke very vocal about safety and he is sometimes the poster-boy for safe driving campaigns.
The Enemy
The Enemy is the UK indie band that was co-founded by Tom Clarke in association with Andy Hopkins on bass and Liam Watts on the drums. He was just sixteen when he put the band together. By about 2007, the band had around 20 songs with them and were picked up by an indie label named Stiff Records. Their first hit was 40 Days and 40 Nights. Other popular songs of the band are It’s Not OK and Next Big Thing. These led to an album release which is titled We’ll Live and Die in These Towns.
Some of the band’s songs such as Gimme the Sign and Saturday appear in the FIFA 12 video game released by EA Sports.
The band has publicly acknowledged that one of their inspirations was Pete Doherty of The Libertines, another UK rock band.
His other major influence is The Jam. He has also been inspired by Oasis and The Clash, which, as he says, has helped him open out his heart and make better friendships within the band itself.
Controversy
Tom Clarke and his band faced a controversy when XFM Breakfast Show host Alex Zane said that they would not play any songs of The Enemy due to some private altercation. His contention was that Clarke had spoken disgustful things against him. They made up in 2008, and the show ended up playing one song from the band, Away from Here.
Charity Work
Tom Clarke has participated in charitable events for the Help for Heroes organization. This is in the form of a race that helps raise money for people who have been injured in Britain’s political conflicts.
Last Modified: Mar 13, 2020
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