Enter Shikari takes to the stage with no music, nor any fancy lighting. Instead Rou addresses the crowd telling them that tonight there’s no security, and that the audience has to help each other out and prove how much of a community the Lions are. This is proven throughout the night, as once “System…” closes and “…Meltdown” kicks in, the normally quiet nightclub in Kentish Town becomes a sweatbox, there’s people hanging off doorframes, crowd surfer after crowd surfer bombard the stage and mosh pits erupt all over the floor. The band themselves are in top spirits tonight, with them deciding to give free shots of Jagermeister to the squashed front row and having as much fun as possible through their onstage banter. Reynolds vocals may not be at their best tonight, however for a man that has been bed ridden all week this can easily be excused. Besides, half their set is spent with him diving into the stampeding audience, screaming in the faces of the lucky ticket holders. Shikari’s set show cases three quarters of the new album, whilst busting out the classics like “Mothership”, “Sorry You’re Not A Winner” and “Juggernauts”. New tunes like “Gandhi Mate, Gandhi” and “Arguing with Thermometers” sound huge tonight, quite a feat for a room that’s half the size of the recently played Borderline. There’s not a single person in the room tonight without a smile on their face by the time the set reaches its climax of the huge-sounding “Sssnakepit.”, the band is bombarded with flying bodies and each decide to dive into the audience themselves. Tonight shows that Shikari haven’t forgotten their roots at all, and with A Flash Flood of Colour about to catapult them into superstardom, it’s refreshing to see that a band that sold out the mighty Hammersmith Apollo are still grounded well to the floor and haven’t been carried away with an ego. Reynolds closes the night thanking the audience for their co-operation for tonight’s filmed event, and leaves the stage with a huge grin on his face. Not bad for a gig that was put together out of sheer boredom and was prepared for within a week.
Monday 13 February 2012
Enter Shikari - The Bull & Gate
Still riding high on the recent success of third studio album, A Flash Flood of Colour, the St Albans quartet pay homage to the most diehard fans in tonight’s one off show in the smallest venue they've played since 2008. Support tonight comes in the form of Rout (Vocalist Rou Reynold's DJ persona) and guitarist Rory Clewlow's brother, PDex. The duo gets the majority of the crowd pumping, with drummer Rob Rolfe even throwing some shapes with the skankers. However once the Macs and decks have been taken off stage, that’s when it’s business as usual for the band and audience.
Enter Shikari takes to the stage with no music, nor any fancy lighting. Instead Rou addresses the crowd telling them that tonight there’s no security, and that the audience has to help each other out and prove how much of a community the Lions are. This is proven throughout the night, as once “System…” closes and “…Meltdown” kicks in, the normally quiet nightclub in Kentish Town becomes a sweatbox, there’s people hanging off doorframes, crowd surfer after crowd surfer bombard the stage and mosh pits erupt all over the floor. The band themselves are in top spirits tonight, with them deciding to give free shots of Jagermeister to the squashed front row and having as much fun as possible through their onstage banter. Reynolds vocals may not be at their best tonight, however for a man that has been bed ridden all week this can easily be excused. Besides, half their set is spent with him diving into the stampeding audience, screaming in the faces of the lucky ticket holders. Shikari’s set show cases three quarters of the new album, whilst busting out the classics like “Mothership”, “Sorry You’re Not A Winner” and “Juggernauts”. New tunes like “Gandhi Mate, Gandhi” and “Arguing with Thermometers” sound huge tonight, quite a feat for a room that’s half the size of the recently played Borderline. There’s not a single person in the room tonight without a smile on their face by the time the set reaches its climax of the huge-sounding “Sssnakepit.”, the band is bombarded with flying bodies and each decide to dive into the audience themselves. Tonight shows that Shikari haven’t forgotten their roots at all, and with A Flash Flood of Colour about to catapult them into superstardom, it’s refreshing to see that a band that sold out the mighty Hammersmith Apollo are still grounded well to the floor and haven’t been carried away with an ego. Reynolds closes the night thanking the audience for their co-operation for tonight’s filmed event, and leaves the stage with a huge grin on his face. Not bad for a gig that was put together out of sheer boredom and was prepared for within a week.
Enter Shikari takes to the stage with no music, nor any fancy lighting. Instead Rou addresses the crowd telling them that tonight there’s no security, and that the audience has to help each other out and prove how much of a community the Lions are. This is proven throughout the night, as once “System…” closes and “…Meltdown” kicks in, the normally quiet nightclub in Kentish Town becomes a sweatbox, there’s people hanging off doorframes, crowd surfer after crowd surfer bombard the stage and mosh pits erupt all over the floor. The band themselves are in top spirits tonight, with them deciding to give free shots of Jagermeister to the squashed front row and having as much fun as possible through their onstage banter. Reynolds vocals may not be at their best tonight, however for a man that has been bed ridden all week this can easily be excused. Besides, half their set is spent with him diving into the stampeding audience, screaming in the faces of the lucky ticket holders. Shikari’s set show cases three quarters of the new album, whilst busting out the classics like “Mothership”, “Sorry You’re Not A Winner” and “Juggernauts”. New tunes like “Gandhi Mate, Gandhi” and “Arguing with Thermometers” sound huge tonight, quite a feat for a room that’s half the size of the recently played Borderline. There’s not a single person in the room tonight without a smile on their face by the time the set reaches its climax of the huge-sounding “Sssnakepit.”, the band is bombarded with flying bodies and each decide to dive into the audience themselves. Tonight shows that Shikari haven’t forgotten their roots at all, and with A Flash Flood of Colour about to catapult them into superstardom, it’s refreshing to see that a band that sold out the mighty Hammersmith Apollo are still grounded well to the floor and haven’t been carried away with an ego. Reynolds closes the night thanking the audience for their co-operation for tonight’s filmed event, and leaves the stage with a huge grin on his face. Not bad for a gig that was put together out of sheer boredom and was prepared for within a week.
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