In town tonight are possibly one of Britain’s most talked about bands, as expected this is emo paradise and the amount of tight trousers and t-shirts in the queue for the venue just says all you need to know; tonight is a night for the MySpace generation. It’s a little unfortunate that a band hailed as such an exciting and original prospect are built up into this huge beast by all the people who live to jump on musical bandwagons, clearly for lots Enter Shikari are only cool because their friends have told them.
Evidence, if it were needed of this exclusiveness was provided indefinitely with the total lack of interest for tonight’s two support bands, Said Mike and
(Pronounced colon open bracket apparently) First off, local boys Said Mike’s continual rate of improvement is always a little surprising, within 12 months they’ve come to being overlooked for this sort of show and are now a very suitable opening act, exerting lots of energy onstage and providing some top-class entertainment. They may only be on the bill due to their synth-laden rock, but still, they are a welcome opener and look for all their worth that they may soon be drawing a lot more attention to themselves.
are a totally different prospect, where Said Mike offered a big beefy sound, their aptly labelled Nintendo-core doesn’t pull as much punch straight up. Another of the crazes of late seems to be retro games consoles, be it for whatever unfathomable reason; anyhow,
are the first band I’ve heard to actually take this into a sound, it’s hard to really liken them to anything else, because they sound totally unique. The 8-bit sounds don’t really offer much diversity, and also with the songs being quite short it’s always going to be hard for a band like this to pull a punch live, needless to say, the initiated thoroughly enjoyed; it’s easy to see how you could fall in love with this band, onstage they have an almost geeky presence, and the only actual instrument being played is the drum kit, as everything else is programmed or sampled, one member is playing a keyboard; the first time I’ve seen somebody type onstage will certainly be one to remember. For all their lack of substance, there is style, and they create a lush orgy or pre-programmed beats which makes for some guilt free and enjoyable songs; check them out if only to see it with your own eyes.
It’s clear by the amount of people that suddenly crowd to the front that a greater proportion of the sold out crowd tonight are only here for one thing; Enter Shikari. Owing to a bass amp problem during the pre-set checks, their set has to be cut short, therefore it’s only 9 songs they get to play before the 10.30pm curfew. As in all great musical hybrids, there is a diverse crowd here this evening, as much as it’s hard to believe that screamo with a few samples will attract dance music fans, it seems to be the case; the mosh pit isn’t so much a regular rock show pit as it is a mini rave. Flashing lights everywhere, Enter Shikari thrive to their assembled fan base.
To the rest of us, it’s not really leaving a satisfying feel; as they quickly work their way through to Return to Energizer it’s clear that so much of Enter Shikari’s appeal is to the people who practically worship them, perhaps it’s more fashion appeal than musical genius. As they get to ‘The Feast’, a B-track off recent single ‘Sorry, You’re Not a Winner’ it’s a perfect rendition of the recording, but they are doing little else to really get past the people who know them well. In fairness it’s not about missing the point completely, lead singer Rou’s vocal consistency is top class, hitting all the night in the right places and proving that a gruelling touring schedule isn’t anything he can’t deal with.
They create a level of depth that so far was thought beyond them half way through, but only for a brief moment with a keyboard led vocal part during one of the songs, each line, as is the case all night with each song; is perfectly repeated by the crowd. ‘Mothership’ fails straight out of the blocks, as Enter Shikari announce that the version they are playing tonight is a remix, why exactly they see the need to remix what was already a good song is beyond me. Perhaps it’s to make use of the dance music side of their hybrid, just keeping in line with the expectation. Sadly it’s something they do a little too often and it’s spoiled for me the only song I was really looking forward to.
The floor erupts during the last 2 songs, ‘Sorry, You’re Not a Winner’ and ‘OK! Time for Plan B’, both songs off the recently released single, a huge pit fills the majority of the small room and lasts the two songs; disappointed reigns then when Enter Shikari announce they had the set cut short due to the bass amp problems and that this was all they had time to do. The whole experience has left a bitter taste in the mouth and a general void, Enter Shikari, through lack of diversity and general attempt to make everybody feel welcome have destroyed the good vibes floating around from the two opening acts.
Overall, this band are one of a few doing the rounds right now where the appeal is with all the fashion conscious kids who seem to infest shows, MySpace has made them big, whereas you have to admire them for getting so far without a major record deal, it does feel like a slightly exclusive club, they may need to go some way to break down some barriers if they are to appeal to a wider audience; it’s just too easy to miss the point of this band.
Most certainly over-hyped; Enter Shikari are appealing to the generation of kids who spend night after night commenting on each other’s pictures in an almost devotional fashion and chronicling their lives to the world through MySpace, perhaps this time would be better spent chasing a band who do something real.
| 
Enter Shikari - Laptop Giveaway
| Contests and Competitions 
Enter Shikari - 01/11/2006 - Barfly, Cardiff
Re: Enter Shikari - 01/11/2006 - Barfly, Cardiff
XXX
