Enter Shikari - London Hammersmith Apollo
Shikari boys triumph in the capital.
Support act The King Blues have only just left the stage and the now-traditional chants of "Still we will be here/standing like statues’ and "Shikari!" have already started. It’s Friday night and Hammersmith Apollo is ready to welcome the St Albans lads with open arms.
The roar is immense as the stage is drowned in red light and the band kick into the opening of ‘Common Dreads’. You can even feel the balcony above shaking. It all sounds good, with none of the impressive tech wizadry going to waste as the sound reverberates around the room, and as the band crunch into ‘Return To Energizer’ (“for the old schoolers”) the combination of lights and music give the effect of being in an immense game of Space Invaders. (Just one tip though, lads, it’s no use Chris chucking Rory’s microphone into the crowd – stand and all – then him complaining it’s been ‘nicked’ by the crowd). Rou announces “Here he is, back from the dead” and ‘Johnny Sniper’ makes a welcome re-appearance to the set.
Despite a few times when you can tell Rou isn't quite getting the response he wants from his keyboards, the concerns don’t stop him from enjoying typical rockstar moments like scaling the speakers during ‘Zzzonked’. The energy doesn’t dip, which isn’t to say there aren’t some quieter sections to let the crowd catch their breath from the circle pits and moshing, but there’s no uncomfortable silences. Since it’s the end of the tour it’s gratifying that the set is such a coherent mix of old and new – enough to keep the old school happy whilst showcasing the new single too. For the encore, drummer Rob decides to give the t-shirt “he’s got too fat for” to the crowd, and as the band launch into ‘Enter Shikari’ the huge lighting backdrop illuminates the opening chant-along of "Shit!". The band round the evening off with a triumphant rendition of ‘Juggernauts’ and the crowd go utterly wild.
All in all an excellent Friday night’s entertainment from the Enter Shikari crew and we're already awaiting the next tour to see what they’re going to deliver next.
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