REVIEW: ENTER SHIKARI AT BRISTOL 02 ACADEMY (18/10/11)
“If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.” This Malcolm X quote now forms the basis of the message that Roughton “Rou” Reynolds and his crew brought to the South West via the medium of post-hardcore electronic music.
The band are a real Marmite of an act, especially of latter years and even more so with their original fans, who are not so keen on their new focus on the electronic end of their music. Cynics would say they have jumped on the dubstep bandwagon. However, no matter what style they are performing, the live performances are delivered with aural and visual intensity unmatched by many of their level. The light show veered sometimes a little too close to being excessive and uncomfortable to look at, but overall, given the venue it was still fun to watch and see the crowd respond. Moments of real note were the live remixes of tracks like Juggernauts and Mothership, which have become live staples, as well as the odd jazz breakdown from bassist Chris Batten.
Whether you agree with their very socially relevant viewpoint, or not, there is no denying the passion and energy that the Hertfordshire four-piece bring to every performance and their fans reciprocate back. By the end of their encore, the crowd was left destabalised, quelle surprise.
Words: Rich Peck
Photo: Laura Palmer
