Heavy breakdowns meet EDM in packed Enter Shikari recordBar barn burner

September 17, 2023

Emily Jacobs,

Enter Shikari. // photo by Jeffrey Allee

British electronic rock outfit Enter Shikari packed recordBar Thursday night in the first show on their USA & Mexico tour of their seventh and newest album, A Kiss For the Whole World, which was their first album to hit #1 on UK charts.

Enter Shikari has been making music since 1999 and has revolutionized electronic rock, often being referred to as the pioneers of electronicore, fusing metalcore with electronic genres such as trance and dubstep, and inspiring the sound of many bands after them, including Attack Attack! Their unique sound doesn’t stop at the instrumental aspect, with a blend of singing, screams, and rapped vocals.

Their set got off to an explosive start as the band came onto a dark stage that erupted into a blur of color as they belted out the opening line “(pls) set me on fire,” one of their newest tracks. True to the song title, the crowd was fired up by the start of second song as the mosh pit opened up without direction from the band. The crowd pushed its way to the edge of the stage, just inches away from the band.

“It’s a Thursday night, but it feels like a Saturday night,” says bassist Chris Batten of the crowd’s energy.

The staggering 18-track setlist pulled songs from throughout Enter Shikari’s extensive discography, from their first album, “Take to the Skies,” to their most recent, with their lyrics often being politically charged.

“The dinosaurs couldn’t see the asteroid coming; what’s our excuse?” says lead singer Rou Reynolds, before diving into a song about climate change, “Arguing With Thermometers.”

They played two more songs after that before going into what Reynolds refers to as a “quickfire round,” where they hammered out four songs in just seven and a half minutes. Afterward, fans screamed for an encore, and the band played two more songs. The crowd went insane during the last song, “{ The Dreamer’s Hotel },” with people crowd surfing and closing in on the stage for the chance to high-five the band members at the end of the set.

“I’d say you caught us fresh, but it’s about 5 a.m. for us,” remarks Reynolds, referring to the show being their first on the tour and having just arrived from the UK. With how hard they went, we never would’ve guessed.

All photos by Jeffrey Allee

Enter Shikari