Enter Shikari – A Look Back

Having loved Enter Shikari for as long as I can remember, I was thrilled to be able to take a look back through the material the St Alban lads had released over the years.

Forming back in 2003, Enter Shikari spent a long time working up to their first full length release. But since their discovery, the four-piece rock, punk, electro…well whatever you’d call them band have been on the rise with a back catalogue of huge tunes and an ever growing base of hardcore fans.

Take to the Skies – Ambush Reality (Produced by Enter Shikari)

Track listing: Stand Your Ground; This is Ancient Land, Enter Shikari, Mothership, Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour, Labyrinth, No Sssweat, Today Won’t Go Down in History, Return to Energiser, Sorry You’re Not a Winner, Jonny Sniper, Adieu, OK Time For Plan B.

I remember when this album was released. Anyone who was a fan of Enter Shikari beforehand could probably tell you how much hype there was for their first full length and after getting hold of a copy myself I could completely understand the hysteria!

Aggressive and heated. A piece of organised chaos I remember thinking. And with extremely catchy melodies and heavy breaks some of these tracks turned straight into Shikari classics. ‘Sorry Your Not A Winner’ for one, (we will all remember the ‘CLAP!’).

And I always consider the first time I listened to ‘Mothership.’ I was hooked straight away. Maybe it was the ghostly electronics or just the hostility behind Rou’s vocals but this tune has stayed with me ever since. I’d probably go as far to say that this is my favourite song from the London lads. ‘Take to the Skies’ was just a miniscule landmark in Enter Shikari’s future success.

 

Common Dreads – Ambush Reality (Produced by Enter Shikari and Andy Gray)

Track listing: Common Dreads, Solidarity, Step Up, Juggernauts, Wall, Zzzonked, Havoc A, No Sleep Tonight, Gap in the Fence, Havoc B, Antwerpen, The Jester, Halcyon, Hectic, Fanfare for the Conscious Man.

My first impressions of ‘Common Dreads’ was that this was definitely a more political album. Debatably calmer in listening compared to ‘Take to the Skies’ but a whole lot more frenzied in regards to lyrical content; constantly showcasing the left-wing views of the band.

‘Step Up’ was a track that has always stuck with me after hearing its content. “Sometimes I do wish apples were our currency so your hoarded millions would rot in their vaults.” Personally I’d consider this an obvious attack on those Enter Shikari wish to expose. Another reason why I love these guys. They’re never afraid to stand up and speak out.

Another favourite of mine has to be ‘Zzzonked.’ I always loved the heaviness of this tune paired with the dirty bass and electronics. And almost six years after its release, it still seems to be the crowd favourite at live shows with it making an appearance in almost every encore!

Although I’d say that ‘Common Dreads’ chilled out slightly with sound, I still think it made a massive impact in the lyrical route that we saw Enter Shikari head into.

A Flash Flood of Colour – Ambush Reality (Produced by Enter Shikari and Dan Weller)

Track listing: System…, …Meltdown, Sssnakepit, Search Party, Arguing With Thermometers, Stalemate, Gandhi Mate Gandhi, Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here, Pack of Thieves, Hello Tyrannosaurus Meet Tyrannicide, Constellations.

After three years since the release of ‘Common Dreads,’ it was of due accord that Enter Shikari concoct a new album. The result being ‘A Flash Flood of Colour,’ (reaching number four in the U.K. chart).

‘Sssnakepit’ was the first single from the album and one I remember being VERY excited about. Fans had waited so long for a new release that it was of no surprise that people went crazy for it. I know I did. But when ‘Arguing With Thermometers’ was released I had a whole new change of heart. I think this song highlights perfectly what Enter Shikari are all about.

Still not refraining from their political and angry lyrics, I immediately saw ‘A Flash Flood of Colour’ as a big middle finger to the government. Definitely no surprise from Enter Shikari then. And unlike previous albums, I also found this set of tunes to be a lot more organised, following more of a theme than just random outbursts of rage. Hence why I’d conclude that Enter Shikari had slowly become bigger and better!

The Mindsweep – Ambush Reality (Produced by Enter Shikari and Dan Weller)

With ‘The Mindsweep’ being set to release on January 19th 2015, I can’t help but try and predict what we might expect from the newest release.

The single release of ‘The Last Garrison’ has had me pretty intrigued. It’s one of those songs that I had to listen to a few times before I decided, yes, I actually love it.

Although, I do consider it to be A LOT different to Enter Shikari’s older material, I’m still really excited to see what new masterpiece the lads have come up with this time. Like I said, bigger and better!

Read at: http://www.musicology-online.co.uk/reviews_single.php?id=77

 

Escape the Fate Review

Escape the Fate
Electric Ballroom, Camden
30/10/14

A long overdue tour from US outfit Escape the Fate has finally hit the UK. After their pull from Warped Tour at Alexandra Palace last year, it is no surprise that their fans are even just a little bit ecstatic about their return.

The Electric Ballroom saw their final show of the Download Freezes Over tour with special guests New Years Day who touched the hearts of those at the front but can’t necessarily be compared to something of prestige; the crowd is rather still. Ash Costello’s gutsy vocals appear to power the guys through but partnered with an overuse of strobes and repetitive ‘dance’ moves, it seems the majority of spectators were put off.
Although it appears a slow start, York lads, Glamour of the Kill, hit the stage with a punch of energy that gets the whole room to their feet. Powering through a set of crowd favourites, it is of no surprise to see so many moving bodies. GOTK clearly were a perfect outfit to play before tonight’s main event.

Escape the Fate’s entrance to their stage was that of chilling mysticism. Darkness saw the silhouettes of the guys slowly merge onto the stage before a flash of light revealed them masked in a spooky yet light-hearted Halloween theme. The crowd cheers and applauds before the guys drop into ‘You’re Insane.’
Although the first few songs of tonight are riddled with technical faults, the lads play on with the crowd going crazy for their riffs. Even light-hearted jokes were made between songs as the technical teams tried to fix the problems, but potentially there were a few too many penis gags.

Tonight’s show is not full to the brim but the fans here definitely make up for the empty spaces. And with crowd favourites ‘Something’ and ‘Ashley’ brought out from the back catalogue, it was of no surprise to see a mass of die-hard fans grabbing one another and singing along in unity.

Tonight’s performance was undeniably not one to forget. “We honestly thank you from the bottom of our hearts” says Craig before the guys storm into a heated encore of ‘This War is Ours.’ Craig struggles to control the crowd as the whole venue is now transformed into a sweaty mass of bodies. Thrasher owns his stage as he plays his way on the strings, sounding expertly recorded. Not one note is missed. Not one person is still.

It was clear that Escape the Fate were long overdue to play back in the UK, and despite an ongoing history of line-up changes and style, I think everyone could agree that Escape the Fate are better than ever. We can’t wait to see them back again.