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Enter Shikari Rips a Sweaty Gig at Boston’s Sold Out Brighton Music Hall [Photos]

We caught British genre-defying act Enter Shikari at their sold-out show at Boston’s Brighton Music Hall on a rainy Monday evening on September 19, 2022.

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British genre-defying act Enter Shikari are in the midst of their first run across the states in 3 years after a delay from this winter’s planned outing, in support of their 2020 release Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible. Accompanying them on this run are fellow Brits, Trash Boat. We caught the tour as the band came to play the first sold-out show of the run at Boston’s Brighton Music Hall on a rainy Monday evening on September 19, 2022.

Despite it being a midweek show, fans were packed in well ahead of Shikari’s set. To get to see a band of Enter Shikari’s stature in such an intimate setting was a real treat, especially considering the arenas they play overseas in the UK and elsewhere. Although cold and rainy outside, the energy (and temperature) in the venue had reached a fever pitch as the group began to emerge onto a fanfare of the melody from “Live Outside.” The intro faded away into synths for the opening of “THE GREAT UNKNOWN,” and the crowd yelled the lyrics along as frontman Rou Reynolds crooned, “Is this a new beginning…or are we close to the end?”

After waiting two years to hear the new material live, this was a fantastic way to start the night out. The band would go on next to lay into some older material, with “Destabilise” and fan-favorite oldie “Juggernauts.” The crowd responded by spinning up a sizable mosh pit, and fans hopped atop the crowd to ride their way up to the barricade in a seemingly endless tide.

As a longtime Shikari fan with a preference for the first three or four releases but also a healthy love for the newest album, it was nice to see the band walk a line between old and new, with the set featuring “Solidarity,” “Sorry You’re Not a Winner,” “Ghandi Mate, Ghandi,” and “Arguing with Thermometers,” alongside some of the most popular cuts from their new release, including “satellites**,” “the pressure’s on,” and “modern living…” If I have one gripe, it’s that the band seems to have cut some of the best breakdowns from their live renditions of songs, most evident in “Mothership,” where they seemed to cut short the epic “Walk the plank! Walk the plank!” mosh part.

As it’s a headliner, I can’t think it’s due to time constraints—also missing was the thrilling rapid-fire beat-matched barrage of tracks that they had been doing the last time they came through. But three years is a long time, and I can’t fault them for changing things up. The band is short one member this tour, with a fill-in drummer in place of Rob Rolfe, who, per Rou, was unable to get his visa approved in time from US’ Homeland Security. This didn’t affect their sound in the slightest; whomever they have manning the throne is more than capable, be it old or new material, including the band’s latest single (ft. Wargasm), “The Void Stares Back.”

If you’ve yet to catch Enter Shikari this run, fear not! There are a couple of weeks left still to their stateside run; check out the remaining dates below!

Enter Shikari 2022 US Tour Dates:

Tues 9/27/22 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
Thur 9/29/22 Colorado Springs, CO The Black Sheep
Fri 9/30/22 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
Sat 10/1/22 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
Tues 10/4/22 Phoenix, AZ Rebel Lounge
Wed 10/5/22 San Diego, CA SOMA
Thu 10/6/22 Los Angeles, CA The Regent Theater
Fri 10/7/22 Pomona, CA The Glass House Concert Hall
Sat 10/8/22 Sacramento, CA Aftershock Festival**
Mon 10/10/22 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Tue 10/11/22 Seattle, WA Crocodile
Wed 10/12/22 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theatre

When he's not out in the woods, clomping around in streams, or looking at shiny rocks, you can find our U.S. Managing Editor and contributing photographer Nathan Katsiaficas in the photo pit, covering everything from heavy metal to punk, alternative, indie, and hip-hop.

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