Enter Shikari

I'm sure any avid Shikari connoisseur will preach to every passer-by on the merits of their live show, their incomparable energy and their ridiculously impressive stage presence.
As a convert to the almost cult-like fanbase that is Enter Shikari's, and a loving patron of five of their live shows (Soon to be six), I can only fully endorse this notion with every undying whim of my being. Whether it's the crowds pleading for them to enter the stage with the roars of 'And still we will be here, standing like statues', lyrics from their aged self-titled song, or the intense shenanigans that the band get up to onstage; it adds together to make a phenomenal experience.
One experience at their recent Hatfield Forum show summarises this perfectly. Rob, the passionate drummer, marched from behind his drum kit to the centre microphone and proclaimed 'Hello ladies and gentlemen! My name's Simple Simon! Just making sure you guys stay safe!', before returning to his drum kit. This ushered in chants of 'Simple Simon!' from the audience and many references to this throughout the gig, aswell as bassist Rory pondering 'How can just telling the crowd to stay safe actually keep them safe?', rendering applause and laughs from the audience. The band have energy that I could only dream of possessing. From the moment they grace the stage with their presence, they feed from the crowd's energy and volition to ensure that Rou keeps screaming his vocals, Rob keeps hammering his kit, Rory keeps abusing his Bass and Chris keeps wailing his guitar. This comes despite them constantly clambering over their amps and diving headfirst into the audience. But the crowd really is the fifth member of the band. With memorable hooks and lyrics, audiences will always clap three times in time to the intro to 'Sorry, you're not a winner', the groups breakout hit. Audiences will yell 'I can't fucking believe this' in 'Destabilise', when Rou asks Rory about his thesis. Audiences will be fully willing to serenade one another when slower acoustic songs are recited from the setlist. The audience crowdsurf and yearn to reach the boys in the band as much as Shikari strive to jump into the audience and be with their fans. The outstanding nature of Enter Shikari's live shows can only be seen from the fact that it's taken up until now to mention their actual music. The distinctive nature of Enter Shikari's music makes it difficult to push them into one single subgenre. They seamlessly blend the Post-Hardcore genre with Metal and Electronic music. It leads to a cluster of influences and the notion that one song can rapidly change from a straight Rock song with simple rhythm to a complex section of Trance music interwoven into a deviously deceptive brutal drum beat. Enter Shikari bring a reinvigoration to the music industry; with their monstrous live energy and extensive repertoire of lovingly hectic tracks coming together to form what is likely to be the greatest live band hailing from England in many years.

Be under no illusion - Enter Shikari concerts are not like any other gig you will ever go to. It is not so much a concert as a community event for the disaffected youth, a place where you can come and let out all your anger caused by the hipocracy and stupid selfishness of the people in power. Over the 30 years I have been going to gigs I have been lucky enough to see Metallica and Slayer in their prime, the Prodigy as they were just starting out, Nine Inch Nails and Nirvana in small venues where you could feel the angst in the air. Combine the sound of these bands with the unity of being in a football crowd and the devotion of Beatlemania and you may have something of an idea of what this gig was like.

The audience had been whipped into a frenzy by the excellent Feed The Rhino, and as the intro to 'The Appeal & The Mindsweep' comes over the speakers you know the crowd are waiting to really let loose. And boy do they. As the guitars kick in the whole place becomes one giant moshpit, limbs sticking out at the most unusual angles everywhere, and frontman Rou Reynolds makes the first of many incursions into the audience by band members. 'Destabilise ' and 'Radiate' are followed by tracks from the excellent Mindsweep album, and it becomes clear that most of the audience has spent the last month learning every word. It beats studying for exams any day.

Musically the band are first class, and Rou Reynolds has the crowd in the palm of his hand throughout, but as he says, an Enter Shikari concert is a two way thing - the crowd contribute to the event as much as the band. The beaming grins on the faces of band and audience are testament to this.

Future classics from the new album given an airing are 'Myopia', 'The Last Garrison' 'Never Let Go of The Microscope' and 'Torn Apart' as well as 'Gandhi, mate,Gandhi', 'Juggernaut', 'The Paddington Frisk' and 'Mothership' from their back catalogue. The energy levels are incredible throughout and only drop slightly for the slower paced 'Stalemate'. The band close the set with the Prodigyesque 'Anaesthetist' then take a quick break before returning for the delicate 'Dear Future Historians ',the not so delicate 'Slipshod ' and 'Sssnakepit'.

You are left wanting more but I think an hour and a half in the moshpit is enough for anyone, and there are plenty of casualties who will have bruises and aching limbs for days to remember this gig by.

At the end of the day what makes Enter Shikari gigs so unique and special is that you feel you have been a part of something incredible with your closest friends. If you were going into battle, these are the people you would want fighting at your side, with General Reynolds leading the charge! Go see them at every opportunity. You won't regret it.

Ive been going to gigs for over 35 years ,ive seen big named acts through out this time, but enter shikari 27th of febuary at alexandra palace has just jumped well above the rest .A totally independant band put on a show that would leave a massively backed band in the shade.From the opening bars of their first song rou had the 10,000 in the audience captivated.Everything about their performance made it seem they had played rooms as big as this all their existence.quadrophonic sound.amazing light show .video screens.live remixes and mash ups just amazing.As an early arrival to alexandra palace along with about 50 others i was treated to a sneaky 15 miniute viewing of their afternoon soundcheck,dont think there is another band out there who apprecite their fans so much to let them see and hear them this way. Could there be anything to moan about anything about the show ,well certainly not about shikari,nor about the king blues who were back to top form ...but i didnt think much of the main support act the wonder years(others in the audience loved them and sang the words to their songs crowd surfers galore were lifted above our heads), personally thou i thought they were a piss poor gaslight anthem nor did i think much of the show openers arcane roots.

This was my fourth time seeing Enter Shikari, and it was the smallest venue that I have had the pleasure of being their audience. And honestly, it was the best show that I have seen them do.
The lights and sounds were phenomenal, and for such a small stage the band really owned it. They never fail to engage the crowd, showcasing just how much fun they are having as well as their audience. On top of this, we were also graced with not one but two confetti canons, perfectly blasted at the prime time to wow the crowd even more so than they already would have been.
It didn't come as a shock to me to spend nearly the entirety of the gig with all sides of my body glued to fellow Enter Shikari fans that were surrounding me. Especially since the venue, Rock City, is rather small. But ultimately, it is all part of the experience, and did not put a downer on my gig experience. This is coming from a 5"4 girl in her twenties.
Overall, this show has definitely settled a -not so difficult- decision for me. I am definitely going to see them again.

Best concert ever!!! Had such a blast moshing out to some amazing tunes! Plus the quadraphonic surround sound was super cool! Rabble Rouser was a banger, and the cheeky chnt of 'Oohhh Enter Shikari' in the tune of 'Seven Nation Army' was quite a laugh for everyone there! Everybody in the croud was really friendly, an example of that friendliness was that somebody had to tie their shoelaces, so people held themselves back so he wouldn't get squished, and another shone a light from their phone so the person could see their shoes. A true representation of what Enter Shikari is about; a family that stands together for one another! Everybody was just embraced in the music and performance, me included! Would love to see them live again!

The whole evening was awesome!

It started with "Flash Forward".
I did not know this band, but just after a few moments of listening to them, i kinda fell in love with their sound. Great perfomance.

Then "As it is" played and again....I was totally impressed by them. They did a great show on the stage. I really enjoyed listening to them.

And then finally Enter Shikari.
The crowd was so hyped and just after a few tones, everyone was jumping around and the moshpit started.
The lights, the sound.... The perfomance was just perfect and everyone was in such a good mood.
Never enjoyed it so much beeing in a crowd.

I wish there were a higher rating I could give this band for everything they are and have done/do.
Stage presence from each individual member is incredible in their own way that makes the show that much more enjoyable. Watching someone else have fun doing the thing they live for will make you just as happy in return; especially if they've just poured their entire heart out into their latest record.
No-one will ever beat their live music, full stop.

thanks that's all xoxo

Astroid Boys were great in their ridiculous tracksuits and big personalities. I'm an instant fan! Lower than Atlantis weren't really up my street, but they delivered a solid performance. Enter Shikari were fantastic from their extravagant kind of retro-mad-scientist style space intro through the moving piano ballad in the middle and then the 4 speed songs in 8 minutes to end. Epic! Energy, humour, visuals and of course musicality all spot on. Awesome night, thanks guys.

DUDE.

Haven't seen Enter Shikari yet? Why are you wasting time reading this review? My words are NOTHING compared to their live act.

True to album, true to live-stage-rockers. Enter Shikari put on a aural and visual show like few others on a scale of their size. Professional show men, yet on-stage jesters. These guys get the crowd going something wild.

Stop reading this review and just buy tickets already.

This was the second time I’ve seen Shikari live, and I’ve booked my next 4 times too! They never fail to disappoint. My favourite concert before this one, was Shikari at Alexandra Palace but somehow they managed to outdo themselves! The energy is incredible and the sense of belonging, family and community is so high it’s beautiful. 10/10 would recommend seeing them live to anyone who listens :)