Photos + text by Alex Brown
When you go to an Enter Shikari show one thing is certain; no matter who you are or your background, you are in a room where you belong and this is the vibe that stays through the entirety of the show.
The night started with NoahFinnce whose music I had never heard until the show. The pop punk riffs, the electric energy and the pure joy radiating from the band set the tone for how the night was going to go and the fans fully embraced every moment of it.
The 24 year old from Ascot was beaming from excitement as the Manchester crowd danced and sang along. It’s not often you get an opening act to get a crowd going the way he did but you could absolutely feel the love from the crowd back to him.
Next up was FEVER 333 who if you haven’t heard the rumours or seen their stage presence you are in for a real treat. Opening their set with ‘burn it’ it felt as a headline show for the band as the crowd went absolutely crazy. Jason’s vocals are some of the best live vocals on the scene and the band are so full of energy and enthusiasm. You can definitely feel the connection between the crowd and the band and the love they have for each other. Mid set Jason took a moment to share his support for Palestine which was greeted with a huge cheer from the crowd (as if you would expect anything else from a Manchester crowd, who as a gig goer I can definitely say are the most amazing crowds to be a part of).
As they ended their set on ‘hunting season’ Jason stacked 3 speakers on top of one another and climbed his way to the top, as he jumped off he started running around the stage as if they’d only just entered the stage. If the headline band wasn’t Enter Shikari, they were definitely going to be the band who stole the show.
Now time for the main event. As the crowd wait in anticipation for what will only become a contender for one of the best nights of the year. The lights go down and on walks Rou with a spotlight shining down on him, he starts to talk through the words of ‘system’ which has fans screaming the words straight back to him.
Within a flash the band appear and we are straight into the show with ‘Meltdown’ where the band immediately show their excellence. If the crowd wasn’t buzzed beforehand, they definitely are now. What started as a group of 4 scene lads from St Albans have now become seasoned pros of owning the stage and the crowd. From grubby dive bars around the UK including my very own local pub in 2006 (which my parents amazingly put on) to now doing arena tours and playing the biggest festivals in the world. Rou told the excited crowd that in the last 10 years Enter Shikari have played the wonderful Victoria Warehouse more than any other band.
Enter Shikari are one of the best live bands I have ever witnessed, so much so I’ve seen them more times than any other band. You never know what kind of show you are going to experience all you know is, it’s going to be incredible. As the band smashed through a star studded setlist which featured songs from throughout the years, we heard fan favourites such as ‘Jailbreak’, ‘Sssnakepit’, a snippet of ‘The Jester’, and a personal favourite of ‘mothership’.
The night was filled with sparklers and confetti, laser shows, amazing fans and a once in a generation kind of band. As the end was coming near, the band finished their set with ‘The Dreamers Hotel’. As the band left the stage, The screen asked if we would like to extend our stay at the 5 star hotel for dreamers to which the crowd screamed ‘FUCK YEAH’ as the band came back to the stage.
For the first night of the tour they FINALLY played ‘Set me on fire’ which was greeted with insane excitement from everybody in the crowd. The Penultimate song was ‘Sorry you’re not a winner’ before ending the show with ‘A Kiss for the whole world’.
Anyone who has been to a date on this tour so far, you know how amazing it is. Anyone who has tickets for the upcoming dates, you’re in for a treat and for people who haven’t got tickets, I highly recommend it as it was a magical show just filled with love friendship and incredible music.
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