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| Enter Shikari @ Troubadour in Hollywood, CA |
Last week I went to Troubadour here in Hollywood to watch, UK-based rock band, Enter Shikari. They are one of the most entertaining shows I have seen in a long time. When I arrived the place was packed and fans were anxious for them to get started. For a minute all you heard was chanting then you could see the band start entering the stage. Then all the lights are off, it gets silent in anticipation. Then the lights start going and then the electronic beats play and the crowd starts jumping in unison and cheering. And if you're wondering what an Enter Shikari show will consist of, here you go...
Crazy lights, jumping on cages, jumping off speakers, climbing on the lighting fixtures like monkeys, joking with the crowd (great interaction), creating human totem poles with the guitarist and bassist, 1 hour of non stop performance, crowd surfing, moshing, and most importantly, ABSOLUTELY NO FIST PUMPING!!!
In 2003 Enter Shikari was formed in St. Albans, England. The band's members are Roughton "Rou" Reynolds on vocals/electronics, Chris Batten on bass/backing vocals, Rob Rolfe on drums, and Liam "Rory" Clewlow on guitar/backing vocals. I had a chance to interview Rory after the show and one question I was curious about was why Rob mentioned during the show that it's nice to be back in the states after 2 years, because it seemed that they have a pretty big following here in the states already. Well, it seems that he had some visa troubles due to some infractions that kept Rob out of the states. Unfortunately, that meant that he was unable to perform on the Warped Tour back in June/July this year. In September he was passed through customs, just in time for their next North America tour, Destabilise, which started on October 2nd in Houston, TX and is ending in San Antonio, TX on November 10th. Once this tour is done they are back to the UK to tour with 30 Seconds to Mars on their Into the Wild Tour. The best way for me to explain their music is a mix of screamo, hardcore electro-rock, techno/house. But according to their Myspace page, they describe themselves as Happy Hardcore/Progressive/Rock. But regardless how you describe their style they are unique in their own right and they are definitely something you do not hear every day. Which is okay in my book and makes it all more worth your while to check them out when they are in your neighborhood.
The band has put out 2 albums since 2007. The first, Take to the Skies, which reached #4 in 2007 on the UK Album charts. Then in 2009 their second album, titled Common Dreads, debuted on the UK Album charts at #16. Pretty impressive; I must say.
I had an opportunity to talk to Rory after the show while they were breaking down the stage. Here are a couple of the questions.
DesireeRose: So, in your show Rob mentions that it's been 2 years since the last time you've been in the states?
Rory: Oh no, (laughs) it's been 2 years since HE'S been in the states. He got into a little trouble and had some problems with his visa -
DR: Oh! Ha! Well I guess that will set ya back from traveling a little bit huh?!
Rory: So it's been a while since he's been here.
DR: And I know that you guyrs are on your North American tour right now and you only here in Cali for a couple more shows, then it's off to Arizona?
Rory: Yeah, (and he makes a face like he SURPRISED that I knew that! I do my research Rory!)
DR: So who is your musical influence? Because I notice when you guys play you have a lot of different genres that you play, like screamo, hard rock-
Mona Pev: Davie Havoc!!!
DR: Yea, Davie Havoc, we saw the sticker.
Mona Pev: We love it...we love the sticker!
DR: And electronics....
Rory: Basically a little bit of everything. In the UK hard rock is very popular so that is kind of our influence.....But mainstream wise... we listen to everything, but I guess Prodigy is probably the first. Lots of drum and base is the main influence.
DR: So my final question is... I notice the name of your band, Enter Shikari, is written in all Greek letters. What is the meeting behind the Greek Letters?
Rory: It's actually pretty deep. We were looking through the different fonts. And the Greek letters looked the coolest!
DR: HAHA nice.... It does. Definitely an eye catcher for sure. Well, I know you have to get back to your set but thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions!
Rory: No problem. Cheers.
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| Left to Right: Me (DesireeRose), Rory from Enter Shikari, Miss Mona Pev (my photographer/videographer) |
Be sure to follow them on FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, and TWITTER.
Find more information on their upcoming tours at their website, www.entershikari.com
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