· The Enemy Oxford Academy

'Are we going to fuckin 'aaaave it?' roars the Enemy frontman Tom Clarke, kicking off this year's NME Rock 'n' Roll Riot Tour. And, on cue, the crowd, 'ave it' back. Only no one roars quite as passionately nor punches the air quite as frenziedly as they should.

Back in July, this teenage Coventry trio became one of the surprise chart hits of the year, when debut LP We'll Live and Die in These Towns, a collection of shouty lad-rock anthems hit number one in its first week. By September, however, the record's so-so reviews had left them under threat of becoming a distant memory.

This tour, then, needs to prove they've got staying power. Unfortunately, after tonight's gig, the jury's still out. Their first mistake is opening with 'Away from Here', the album's catchiest number; their last is closing with 'You're Not Alone', its most forgettable.

Clarke may swagger and flash the V sign like a fun-sized Gallagher brother, but he's a curiously anonymous stage presence. As the tour moves on to bigger and better venues, the paucity of the band's material will be more cruelly exposed than ever.