© Jenny Hughes
Live Gig Review Credit: Kurt Dean Darby (Contributor) Myglobalmind Webzine
Audience energy levels reach 100%, a ten minute countdown created by the band featuring an evolution of dance music, from the swing of the 30’s, to 90’s trance builds up suspense as it descends into its final seconds. The crowd caught in the awe of anticipation before lift-off. That’s when Enter Shikari literally lift the roof right off from the walls of the perfect venue for this electric outing, Belfast’s own Mandela Hall. The crowd sing (and scream) in unison as Shikari’s frontman Rou Reynolds belts out the first lines of ‘System…’ before the first of many instrumental breakdowns of the night send the crowd into a frenzy of jumping and moshing. The entire band also enjoy what they came here to do as they jump about the stage frantically, tasting and savouring every word sang back to them by the mostly young chaotic crowd. I personally love to see bands enjoying themselves and react with each other and the crowd because it creates such a feel good atmosphere, and Shikari absolutely nail it.
It’s safe to say, if you’re a fan of Shikari and do not want to take the chance of having to leave the show in the arms of paramedics, its best you stay at the back of the gig (or at home). The energy levels stay high throughout, even when the band stops playing twice mid-song – first during ‘SSSnakepit to ensure a fallen female mosher gets medical attention and again slightly later in the show when the drummer bounces from his stool to interfere with a backstage confrontation between security and a fan.
© Jenny Hughes
Enter Shikari
Despite these disjointing mishaps, Shikari come back full force, as if they never left with such fan favourites like ‘Sorry You’re Not a Winner’ and ‘Gandhi Mate Gandhi’ as well as remixes of various other tracks and jaw-dropping intrumentals. If I had but one criticism not in their favour, it would only be that they did not play my favourite Shikari single ‘Juggernauts’.
Their genre is always hard to define, containing a mash up of metal-core with dance elements, experimenting even with Reggae in ‘Arguing with Thermometers’ from their latest album ‘A Flash Flood of Colour’. It’s obvious to say that Enter Shikari are not for everyone, that perhaps dance and metal should be separated from each other by an electrified fence, But hey, we all can’t support the same team.
The English quartet formed in 2003 and released their third studio album ‘A Flash Flood of Colour’ on the 16th of January 2012, reaching number four in the UK album charts. With an incredible live act and an arsenal of bulletproof tracks, it looks like it’ll take a hell of a lot to shoot down Enter Shikari’s Mothership.
http://www.entershikari.com
http://www.twitter.com/entershikari
http://entershikari.tumblr.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/AmbushReality
http://open.spotify.com/artist/31jvzuB4i…
http://statigr.am/entershikariofficial
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