Gig review: Enter Shikari at O2 Academy Leeds

Imagine a solid and thundering foundation of drums, with Morello-esque bass licks as the next delicious layer, screaming and wailing guitars adding yet another dimension to the mix, and the most gnarly and beautiful vocals dripping over the top like some sort of exotic and exquisite icing, and I think that would be a fairly accurate description of any Nova Twins performance.

Now Enter Shikari come with a stark message, perhaps you could even call it a warning about the sustainability of mankind with everything that is going on in the world from climate change to global pandemics threatening our very existence, and they drive that message across through the medium of genre-defining music laced with lashings of intelligible and succinct lyrics that always seem to be relevant for the time.

From the song Arguing with Thermometers being released back in 2012 to T.I.N.A. (There Is No Alternative) or Dreamers Hotel fresh from 2020, their message is clear; squad up and look out for one another and our planet.

The whole audience was briefly unified and connected with a short distraction from reality momentarily; confetti canons firing out from the first track and periodically throughout their set, the sound of klaxons ringing out, and such an eclectic collection of music on offer and being played including a mid-set remix.

The setlist covered a lot of the new material from their new album ‘Nothing Is True And Everything Is Possible’ as well as a great selection of their singles from over the years.

So much effort was painstakingly made for this tour, including the lads finding and using the original synth stems for Sorry You’re Not A Winner, the inescapable expressions of joy coming from each one of them and the audience was a clear sign that all of their hard work and patience had paid off; I don’t think I have ever been to a show where everyone was singing along to every song or where the guys on stage look to be having the same, if not more fun than the crowd in front of them.

The boys have finally made it back to where they belong, andit was so good to see them and watch them get everyone bouncing and singing in unison. Enter Shikari have a certain magic about them and they are the furthest thing from that ‘screamy, shouty band’ category people automatically put them in; their message gets louder and clearer with every new track they write and eventually, people just won’t ever be able to ignore them, their message, or their musical diversity and energy.

Unfortunately, after being so careful and cautious over the past few weeks and keeping everyone on the tour in a tight bubble, they have had to pull the Middlesborough and Nottingham shows for tonight and tomorrow, as a member of their crew has tested positive.

“Even with everyone else continuing to test negative throughout the day, we have taken the decision that it would be morally wrong to put our crew and audience in a situation where either could be exposed to greater risk, especially in light of the increased risk of transmission of the Omicron variant,” a statement from the band released on social media said.

They are aiming to get those last couple of dates rescheduled as soon as they possibly can, and more details will be announced through their social media and their website.