WEST Midlands based indie favourites The Enemy and The Twang bring their double header to Bournemouth tonight, a rescheduled show from last December’s cancelled appearance. Tailor made to tour together both bands released massively successful debut albums to critical acclaim in 2007 charting at number one and number three respectively and they were both tipped to go on to great things. Earning early support slots with the likes of Oasis and Kasabian and lauded by Paul Weller amongst others, it’s fair to say that neither band has quite managed to build on their initial momentum and reach the full potential bestowed on them by the music press.

First up this evening are the Twang; Birmingham based baggy revivalists and fronted by the charismatic Paul Etheridge. Reminiscent in style to the legendary Flowered Up, the talented five piece gets the crowd bouncing from the outset as the dual vocalists trade off of one another soon creating something akin to a mini carnival atmosphere. The recently released album NEOTWANG has seen an impressive return to form for the band accused of losing their way and a number of new tracks get an airing tonight receiving a good response from the audience. The rapturous applause and sing-along’s are definitely reserved for spacey dance floor classics (Barney Rubble, Either Way, This Is Our Town, and Cloudy Room) which make up the majority of the set.

Headliners this evening are The Enemy, Coventry based three-piece formed in 2006, who take an altogether more confrontational stance and definitely step up the pace more than a few notches. Fronted by singer and multi instrumentalist Tom Clark, the Enemy have seen controversy over the years, been banned by the BBC’s Zane Lowe and received favourable comparisons musically to both The Libertines and The Jam.

These comparisons are particularly evident on the hit single, ‘We’ll Live and Die in these Towns. In 2008 the band were even joined on stage by Paul Weller, the Modfather himself at a Crisis charity show at London’s Roundhouse.

Currently working on their fourth studio album, the first in over two years, we are treated to a set packed with both their classic tunes and a handful of new material. Brand new tracks Melody and new single Magic stand up well against the crowd favourites from their first two albums.

They close the set and indeed the night with a phenomenal cover of James’s Sit Down which sees every arm in the air and more than a handful of people sat aloft on each other’s shoulders. Both bands in 2015 are largely sustained by their own fan bases and the venue is pretty much at maximum capacity, but tonight’s package tour was not really about re-creating the glory days of Britpop nostalgia.

What we were given was solid performances from two very talented bands making intelligent, mature music (and for twenty pounds a ticket offering great value for money).

Nick Marrow