Enter Shikari are undoubtedly hall of famers in the UK music scene, with a career already spanning over 15 years. They have toured arenas, headlined festivals, and embarked on many sold-out tours, including this one.
Trash Boat were the chief support as they chose to play a variety of tracks showcasing their latest record Don’t You Feel Amazing?, which was received well by an eager crowd which had already filled out the majority of Rock City. The band brought an element of energy and passion that was received well by a crowd who seemingly did not know Trash Boat’s music well, but you would not be surprised if they started to pay more attention to the band’s music after this charged-up support slot. Although the set was only five songs, He’s So Good was certainly the highlight as the Royal Blood style riff had the room opening out and preparing the crowd for what was shortly to come from the quartet from St Albans. 8/10
As this gig was originally scheduled for earlier this year (after it had been rescheduled about 2 million times) since 2020, it would be fair to say the people of Nottingham had been patiently waiting for the first of these two sold out nights at Rock City, and from the first play of the opening piano piece that makes up THE GREAT UNKNOWN, it was going to be a sweaty one.
What stands out to you straight away is the sheer quality of the sound production. The throbbing bass and clarity in with all the instruments are played is stunning in a live setting. Classics Destabilise, Sssnakepit, and Juggernauts all follow, and the place is absolutely rocking. The whole floor seemed to be bouncing, and the crowd were eating out of the band’s hand. Despite lead singer Rou Reynolds claiming they were feeling rusty, you certainly could not tell, as his joints were clearly not too rusty as his ability to swing his arm around like a windmill on steroids is second to none.
The whole band’s energy was unreal, Rou spoke about how they had been in a cottage in the middle of nowhere eating pie and making new music, and you could tell that they certainly had a lot of pent-up energy stored.
Return to Energiser was a surprise addition to the setlist, which was largely the same as the setlist for the UK tour, but met with great enthusiasm from the crowd, as was pretty much every single song the band played, they really could do no wrong. The Reso drum and bass remix of Anaesthetist got people going mental, the iconic Mothership chorus had the whole room singing, Rou’s acoustic solo rendition of Constellations had everyone listening in, and the groove of Rabble Rouser had everyone dancing.
There really is not much more you could want from a gig.
As the band made their way back on stage for the encore, yet again, the live production was on full display. The light production felt like you were in an arena environment, combined with the musical performance, it was a truly mesmerising experience. As a burst of confetti symbolised the finale of fan favourite Live Outside, it gave you a great after taste after seeing what is almost certainly, the UK’s best live outfit. 10/10
Written By: Joe Loughran
