Enter Shikari – “Live At Alexandra Palace” [Album Review]

In just over six months time, Hertfordshire mentalists Enter Shikari will celebrate the tenth anniversary of their breakthrough album Take To The Skies by headlining the 2017 Slam Dunk weekender. While hazy at best, I remember being shoehorned into the Barfly in London seeing them supporting UK band Fony back around the time the group were starting to build up a bit of a buzz.

My point is that, listening to Live At Alexandra Palace, a live album recorded at their biggest headline show to date, back in February 2016, it’s incredible to think how far this band have come in those ten years and, while they do still trot out the classics from TTTS, Enter Shikari in 2016/2017 are a far different beast. Whether you love them or loathe them, there are few bands from the modern rock scene that are as potent live as Enter Shikari.

From headlining festival stages to sold-out UK arena tours, Live At Alexandra Palace is the culmination of ten+ years of hard work slogging around the UK gig circuit. It also demonstrates how diverse the band’s arsenal of material is now from the almost screamo-pop of “Sorry You’re Not A Winner” to the classier, antagonistic cache of songs like “Destabalise” and “Anaesthetist”, Enter Shikari have the music to back up their explosive live show.

On the downside, there is no visual element to back up this audio set so, while you can get an idea of how exciting this group are just from this disc, you really need to experience their retina-burning visuals to fully understand why Enter Shikari are head and shoulders above the rest of the UK modern rock scene. Get this, then start counting the days until the Hertfordshire band leave a pile of rubble and gibbering fans where Slam Dunk once stood.

Live At Alexandra Palace Track Listing:

01. Intro / Solidarity
02. Sorry You’re Not A Winner
03. The One True Colour
04. The Last Garrison / No Sleep Tonight
05. Destabilise
06. Radiate
07. Slipshod / The Jester
08. Price On Your Head (inc. Danny Byrd Remix)
09. Dear Future Historians
10. Arguing With Thermometers
11. Gandhi Mate, Gandhi
12. Torn Apart
13. Mothership
14. Redshift
15. Anaesthetist (inc. Reso Remix)
16. The Appeal & The Mindsweep II

Run Time: 92:50
Release Date: November 18, 2016

Check out the song “Redshift”