Enter Shikari came to headline the o2 Academy Brixton and delivered a great show.
The British alternative rock band Enter Shikari from Hertfordshire was formed in 1999 and currently comprises vocalist Roughton ‘Rou’ Reynolds, drummer Rob Rolfe, bassist Chris Batten and lead guitarist Liam ‘Rory’ Clewlow. So far, they released five studio albums being ‘Take To The Sky’ (2007, self-released), ‘Common Dreads’ (2009, Warner Music), ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’ (2012, Ambush Reality), ‘The Mindsweep’ (2015, self-released / Play It Again Sam) and ‘The Spark’ (2017, self-released / Play It Again Sam). Musically, the quartet is considered to have pioneered electronicore and further shows influences of post-hardcore, electronic rock, metalcore, experimental rock and post-rock. They re-invented their sound and image with every album but keep their core of mixing hardcore punk elements including heavy breakdowns in contrast to anthemic choruses with various electronic music genres such as dubstep, trance or electronica. The alteration between screamed, rapped and sung vocals is accompanied by futuristic synth sounds and heavy guitars. Lyrically, Enter Shikari often write about political issues – being a part of the punk scene – but have also verbalised more personal topics such as anxiety, mental illness, loss or depression. They try to send the message of improving life through unity and love.
Around seven pm the sold-out venue, The o2 Academy Brixton, opened its doors. The queue reached all the way around the corner of the building, consisting of both, old and young fans. With a capacity of around 5000 people, the Brighton based alt-rock band Black Peaks opened the stage for a packed venue and kicked off the night with an energetic set just before the American fashion-art rock trio Palaye Royale from Nevada picked up the pace and got the crowd prepared for Enter Shikari.
Starting off their set with ‘The Sights’ and ‘Step Up’, Enter Shikari played a good mix of songs from all of their albums including ‘Slipshod’ which they haven’t been playing in a while, or ‘Mothership’ before slowing it down with the piano driven ‘Airfield’ leading right into the quickfire round where they played some of their older songs such as ‘Sorry, You’re Not A Winner’, ‘…Meltdown’ and Anaesthetist’. The fans seemed to enjoy the diverse set and showed their enjoyment by dancing and jumping along. Especially during the quickfire round the pace and energy inside the venue got more intense and the crowd started raving in circle pits and crowd surfers made their way to the stage. Everyone belted the lyrics back to the band. The anthemic chorus of the last song of the set ‘Live Outside’ kept echoing back on repeat until the band left the stage seemingly impressed.
Not only the music performance of all three bands or Rou’s smooth dance moves and vocals were on point, but also the light show for all three sets was well thought through. While Black Peaks kept their set mellow and rather simplistic, which suited their music and helped to create the needed atmosphere, Palaye Royale had a more theatrical light show with their own stage lights. Enter Shikari had a futuristic looking set with a mix of colourfully wild and simplistic calm lights that created a suitable ambience for each song. The acoustic for all three bands was well balanced.
Overall, it was a great concert with an impressive show and a high level of energy. Both, the fans and all bands seemed to have a great time and enjoyed the evening. The audience highly appreciated the mix of older and newer songs, showing their appreciation by screaming the lyrics on the top of their lungs. The bands were impressed and thankful for the positive feedback and delivered a great performance, having a special time.
Venue: o2 Academy Brixton
Artist: Enter Shikari
Support: Black Peaks, Palaye Royale
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A Special Time 