October 22, 2007 12:51

NME Rock N Roll Riot Tour 2007 finale hits Birmingham

The tour comes to a triumphant end in the Midlands

Photo Gallery: The Enemy

The O2 presents NME Rock N Roll Riot Tour 2007 came to a sweaty close last night (October 20), with the second of two shows at Birmingham Carling Academy.

Despite the spate of illnesses that affected the last days of the tour - including bassist Andy Hopkins who had to miss a gig on a train, all the billed bands were able to appear and put in ferocious performances for the packed house.

Lethal Bizzle opened the night with a well-received slot, while The Wombats were in a celebratory mood following the Top 20 chart entry of their single ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ .

The Enemy concluded the night with a riotous 50-minute set, which was greeted with overwhelming enthusiasm by the crowd – many had made the short journey over from the band’s hometown Coventry and sang the city's football chants throughout the gig.

After the show, the trio presented bottles of champagne to both support acts by way of thanks, before attending a aftershow party to celebrate the end of the tour.

Speaking to NME.COM, singer Tom Clarke expressed his amazement at the tour.

“There’s not been a single rubbish gig,” he said. “Playing in Birmingham for two nights was something that I really didn’t expect so these dates were a real highlight, but I think the gig at Glasgow Barrowlands really stood out the most. I think the Scots are leading the way when it comes to getting on to new bands.”

The frontman also expressed adoration for their opening acts over the last three weeks, saying: “The Wombats have been great and they were definitely on a winner tonight. But I’ve got a lot of respect for how hard Lethal Bizzle worked on this tour. I wouldn’t feel very confident going out in front of a crowd of Lethal Bizzle fans but he went out in front of ours and managed to convert a lot of people who didn’t know anything about him.”