Enter Shikari

Enter Shikari is a band from St Albans, United Kingdom, active since 1999. The group is made up of Rou Reynolds, Rory Clewlow, Chris Batten and Rob Rolfe.

Style and themes

The band is associated with post-hardcore, alternative rock, electronicore, nintendocore, rave and screamo, and its music also draws on hardcore, trance, electronica, dubstep and drum and bass. Its sound develops a stronger electronic element over time, which makes it hard to place in a single genre. The lyrics address political, social and scientific subjects.

Name and formation

The name Enter Shikari comes from two earlier references used by Rou Reynolds: a boat owned by his uncle and a character in a play he wrote before the band forms, both called Shikari.

Releases and career

The group releases its debut album, Take to the Skies, on its own label, Ambush Reality, after turning down major label offers. The album appears in Europe through PIAS, in North America on Ambush Reality and Tiny Evil, and in Japan on Hostess. It reaches number 4 on the UK album chart and sells more than 100,000 copies in the UK.

In 2008, after a year of touring, the band writes material for a second album in its rehearsal space, a shed in Chris Batten’s back garden known as “The ’Low”. One track, “Antwerpen”, appears as a free digital download. The band also issues the one-off single “We Can Breathe In Space, They Just Don’t Want Us To Escape”, a completed version of a demo first made in 2005.

The second album, Common Dreads, is recorded at Arreton Manor on the Isle of Wight with producer Andy Gray. Its first public track is “Juggernauts”, which is played on BBC Radio 1 and later released as a single. The album reaches number 16 on the UK album chart. “No Sleep Tonight” is also released as a single and is followed by remixes from ROUT, Mistabishi, The Qemists and LightsGoBlue.

The third album, A Flash Flood of Colour, is recorded at Karma Bay Studios in Bangkok and produced by Dan Weller, formerly of SikTh. Its singles include “Sssnakepit”, “Gandhi Mate, Gandhi”, “Quelle Surprise” and “Arguing with Thermometers”.

Live activity

Enter Shikari tours widely across the UK, Europe and the United States. It appears on Linkin Park’s Project Revolution tour alongside Jay-Z, Pendulum and N*E*R*D, plays with Linkin Park in mainland Europe, joins the Vans Warped Tour in 2010 and tours with 30 Seconds to Mars in November 2010.