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Enter Shikari Continue Riotous Residency at Manchester’s New Century Hall [Photos]

Enter Shikari continues their UK residency returning to Manchester’s New Century Hall with support from As Everything Unfolds.

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Enter Shikari. photo by Graham Finney Photography

Returning for round two in this series of “residency” shows ahead of their new album, A Kiss For The Whole World, Enter Shikari returned to the New Century Hall in Manchester.

Joining the festival headlining genre-botherers for this round of dates are Lancashire alt-pop artist Cody Frost who was sadly bidding the packed room a farewell upon our arrival. Barely twenty minutes later and High Wycombe’s post-hardcore outfit As Everything Unfolds was storming through their set.

A stunning mix of metalcore, pop, modern rock and pulsating electronics, As Everything Unfolds and, in particular, vocalist Charlie Wolfe, are incredibly excited to have been picked to support Enter Shikari on this run. Speaking of the vocalist, what a star this band has fronting them. Wolfe’s pristine clean vocals are married with attention-grabbing metalcore growls as “Flip Side” and “Felt Like Home” demonstrate a group that can switch effortlessly between almost poppier tones to something more moshpit friendly.

Standing at the back of the room midway through Enter Shikari’s set, you can feel the floor shaking under your feet. Now, this could be down to the fact that the Rou Reynolds-led outfit still brings their arena game to rooms a tenth of the size of what they’re used to playing, or it could be that this excitable crowd has not stopped bouncing from the opening blast of confetti. More likely, it’s that when you combine an excitable crowd with a band that is putting on a visual and sonic performance of this magnitude, the end result is literally foundation-shaking.

From opener “It Hurts,” Enter Shikari proves why they are one of the most exciting live bands in the UK, full stop. Having grown from the MySpace boom, Enter Shikari has blossomed into one of the most important names in modern heavy music. Songs like “Juggernauts” and “Labyrinth” are lethal cocktails of electronic-laced, pop-infused, breakdown-peppered rock, while new single “Bloodshot,” which makes its live debut here, is the kind of earworm that you come to expect from the band now.

Taking the time out to address the fact that lockdown curtailed their chance to properly tour in support of their April 2020 album, Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible, frontman Reynolds goes walkabout early on in their set while opener Cody Frost joins the band onstage to duet on their recent single “Bull” as this second round of dates ahead of their highly-anticipated new album gets off to an unmissable, explosive start.

Enter Shikari Set List:

1. It Hurts
2. Juggernauts
3. { The Dreamer’s Hotel }
4. Halcyon
5. Hectic
6. The Void Stares Back
7. satellites* *
8. the pressure’s on.
9. Bloodshot
10. Labyrinth
11. Radiate
12. (pls) set me on fire
13. Bull (With Cody Frost)
14. Sorry, You’re Not a Winner
15. Stop the Clocks
16. System…
17. …Meltdown
18. Live Outside

I have an unhealthy obsession with bad horror movies, the song Wanted Dead Or Alive and crap British game shows. I do this not because of the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll lifestyle it affords me but more because it gives me an excuse to listen to bands that sound like hippos mating.

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