Huge UK alt rock band Enter Shikari have shared a video for Undercover Agents, taken from their critically acclaimed Top 5 album The Spark. Following their biggest Arena tour to date, the quartet will play UK and European festivals throughout the Summer, with two UK warm up shows in intimate venues, both of which sold out in a matter of seconds. The band have also hinted at more intimate shows in coming months.
The Undercover Agents animated video was fan-made by George Cheswick, telling the story of ‘The Spark’ album cover star, ‘The Machine’, and his journey to earth to live amongst us. ‘The Machine’ is affectionately known at ‘Sparky’ by those that work with him, having now achieved self-awareness and his own Instagram account.
Enter Shikari frontperson Rou Reynolds :
‘We’re very lucky to have such talented fans, and to be able to release George’s video so soon after the ‘Take My Country Back’ fan-made film is an honour and a testament to the relationship we have with the people who support our art. We take great pleasure in being able to support theirs in return.
‘As for the track itself; generally the lyrics are about “perception management” – believing what one wishes it to believe, regardless of whatever the truth may be.
‘We all play with truth in politics and in our personal lives, and this song is about disdain for these societal pressures and lack of sincerity.’
Director / animator George Cheswick had this to say on the subject of the video:
‘The ‘Undercover Agents’ animation was the final piece for my Major Project at university. I’m a huge fan of Enter Shikari, and their music has really helped me through a lot, so it’s great to be able to give something back. When I began working on the animation, ‘The Spark’ had only just been released and ‘Undercover Agents’ was my favourite track from the album. The story was based on ‘The Machine’ from the album cover – where had it come from? How did it end up here? The video consists of 6,480 cells of imagery and took me roughly 14 weeks to write, animate and piece together. I hope everyone enjoys it!
Sparky offered his own opinion, despite nobody asking him for it:
‘It was only a matter of time before my journey to glory was immortalised on film. I look forward to this blockbuster taking its rightful place alongside such memorable rock biopics as Ray, Liberace: Behind The Candelabra, and that new one with Mr Robot as Freddie Mercury’
2018 Festival and Tour Dates below:
JUNE
1st Rock Am Ring, Nurburgring, Germany
2nd Rock Im Park, Nuremberg Zeppelinfeld, Germany
17th Novarock Festival, Nickelsdorf, Austria
22nd HippieLandia, Sofia, Bulgaria
23rd Arsenal Festival, Kragujevac, Serbia
29th Jera On Air, Ysselsteijn, Holland
30th Vainstream, Munster, Germany – SOLD OUT
JULY
4th Rock for People. Czech Republic
8th Atlas. Ukraine
13th Hatfield. Forum, UK (supported by Boston Manor) – SOLD OUT
14th 2000trees Festival, Gloucestershire, Withington, UK
28th Fezen Festival, Szekesfehervar, Hungary
AUGUST
10th Southampton. The Joiners Arms, UK *** – SOLD OUT
11th Boomtown Festival, Winchester, UK – SOLD OUT
12th Urban Rock, Brno, BVV Exhibition Centre, Czech
DECEMBER
12th Bergen, Garage, Norway
13th Oslo, John Dee, Norway
14th Stockholm, Fryshuset, Sweden
15th Gothenburg, Sticky Fingers, Sweden
16th Copenhagen, Pumpehuset, Denmark