Gig Review: Enter Shikari

So after chatting to Allusondrugs here, I got to watch Enter Shikari play some jams at Wolverhampton Civic Hall later that day. I have to admit that I was a liiiittle bit sceptical at first as I was still unsure of my feelings about Enter Shikari post-Common Dreads. However, as I saw them play Reading Festival in 2012 one thing I was sure of was that it would be a show to remember.

Fatherson were the first band up supporting. Reining from Glasgow, I had definitely heard of them prior to the show but had simply never gotten round to listening to any of their material. In a way, I'm glad that I didn't listen to anything before the show because it was nice turning up expecting nothing and just being impressed. They had some really solid songs and were overall a really tight band. I just wish that they'd interacted with each other a little bit more. However, I really like their sound and their latest release - I Am An Island - should definitely be getting some play time from me.

Next up, Allusondrugs. After checking out some of their live performances on the interwebs I knew that they'd be energetic but compared to the calm and collected guys I'd chatted to earlier, they were galvanised! Something really came over them and whatever it was, it was brilliant. They were the coffee shot that the show needed; a rush of blood to the head. I can't remember the last time I saw somebody hit the drums as hard as Connor, and everyone else was just going for it, straight off the bat. Insane stage presence. I would love to see them headline a smaller venue (hint: upcoming March/April tour). Their song "Friend" is a big tune - loved the beefy guitars on that. If people didn't know who they were before coming to the show, they definitely did leaving. These guys are certainly ones to watch.

Last on the supporting line up - Feed The Rhino. Mayhem. UTTER MAYHEM. One of the most frenetic and entertaining support acts that I've ever seen. The energy in the room was just immense. From beginning to end, the lead (Lee Tobin) had the crowd in the palm of his hands. Or rather the crowd had him in theirs! He spent 50% of the show in the crowd riling them up and crowd surfing/walking. As well as their presence, FTR's songs also filled the room and by the end of the set, everyone was a sweaty mess trying to remember his/her own name. I would definitely suggest getting your hands on some of their music - heavy jams. And as the perfect, badass finale, their drummer trashed his kit and jumped into the crowd. That won't be one I'm forgetting anytime soon.

And finally the moment of truth - Enter Shikari.  As good as all of the support acts were, as soon as Enter Shikari stepped on stage everybody remembered why they'd come. As the countdown kept reminding the audience "five minutes left, one minute left..." you could just feel the crowd getting more and more worked up and so as soon as the lads appeared on stage the roars were immense. Enter Shikari played a pretty fantastic setlist if you ask me! Only a couple of songs that I might have added into the mix but they smashed it! I was worried that it'd be a case of me really, really enjoying the old tracks and merely tolerating the newer ones but in fact some of the songs that I didn't recognise were the ones that I ended up liking best! I had no idea why I ever doubted them but this show taught me never to do it again! Some moments that particularly stuck out to me during the show were "Radiate", "Juggernauts", "The Last Garrison" and of course "Mothership". As the set came to an end the whole room rumbled with cheers for an encore "SHI-KARI! SHI-KARI!" Even though it was obvious they'd be coming back on stage the adrenaline was still racing. The encore was just as energetic and dazzling as the rest of the show had been. At some point Rou called the event "an exchange of energy and passion" and I couldn't have said it better myself...

Overall Rating - 8.5/10


Here are some pictures from the night...