This gig has been on the cards for a long time now and the anticipation amongst the people here tonight is palpable. The crowd are suitably warmed up by a couple of outstanding opening sets by “Nova Twins” and “Dinosaur Pile-Up” but the committed fans are here for Shikari and the front is already rammed with bodies.
Opening with a “Live Outside” fanfare the St Albans boys enter the stage a burst into “The Great Unknown”, the opening track from their latest record “Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible”. It sets a precedent for the night, one where not a single ounce of energy is wasted from either the band or the crowd. It jumps up yet another gear during “Destabilise” which doesn’t have a single person standing still. Cardiff’s Great Hall opens up with a sea of people being swept up into the various pits.
Things don’t stop there after with a one-two hit of “Sssnakepit” and “Juggernauts” both maintaining the high energy established from the outset. “modern living…” gives the crowd somewhat of a rest-bite and it gives them a chance to appreciate the spectacular show that is being put on. Despite it holding under 2,000 people, the room feels as though it’s a massive arena. Props to the sound mixers and the lighting guys as throughout the band look and sound great with a seriously impressive light show to go along with it.
“Anaesthetist” hits incredibly hard, but what’s even better is the drop of the remix right at the end and the place turns into a full-on rave. The way songs are seamlessly blended into one another is also a joy to behold; the way in which “Arguing With Thermometers” merges straight into “Rabble Rouser”, is extremely satisfying. It makes sure that at no point the foot is taken off of the gas.
It’s hard to believe that Shikari have been around for as long as they have. I personally saw them in the exact same venue over 14 years ago now and some of the fans here tonight probably weren’t even born around then. It’s a testament to the band that they’ve been able to keep things fresh over the last couple of decades and still gain new fans whilst pleasing the old ones. Naturally the biggest reactions are saved for the classics and they don’t get more iconic than “Sorry, You’re Not A Winner”. Such is the response, the poor girl next to me unfortunately ended up losing her glasses at first, but did manage to find them in the end, albeit in a slightly altered state!
The same goes for “Mothership” which made me feel as though I was a teenager again. It’s impressive that Rou can still absolutely nail those “Cookie Monster” growls with ease to this day. It yet again gloriously switches into “Solidarity” which feels particularly heavy. Everyone chants along to their iconic line “And still we will be here, standing like statues” as they exit the stage triumphantly.
As Rou re-enters with just a guitar for an absolutely beautiful rendition of “Constellations”, which takes the grandness of the show that’s come before it and bring it down to something very delicate and intimate. It’s not all about going a million miles an hour and shows the range that they have as a band. Things go back to normal so to speak straight after with probably the highlight of their latest offering “T.I.N.A” followed by “{The Dreamer’s Hotel}” both of which see the multiple crowd surfers throwing themselves over the barriers.
It all finishes with “Live Outside” and in that moment, I’m stood in the middle of the crowd around like-minded people and everything just feels alright in the world. In that space of time everything else is forgotten and there is just an absolute sense of joy being part of a community that are enjoying themselves in spite of everything that is going on. That’s something a band like Enter Shikari can do. Whilst their message is a strong and they are not afraid of hiding it; they also show that you can still have an awful lot of fun and that is what is demonstrated tonight.