Enter Shikari blends post-hardcore, alternative rock, pop, and electronicore within an adaptable and high-voltage British rock framework. Their 2007 debut album Take to the Skies earned gold status in the United Kingdom, launching an enduring career that has yielded further acclaimed long-players including A Flash Flood of Colour (2012), Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible (2020), and A Kiss for the Whole World (2023). These recordings present a broadcast-friendly synthesis of electro-pop, grime, and post-hardcore-inflected dance-rock whose ongoing inventiveness matches its sonic vitality.
The quartet originated in Hertfordshire, England in 2003 from the remains of Hybryd, whose founding members were vocalist Rou Reynolds, guitarist Liam "Rory" Clewlow, bassist Chris Batten, and drummer Rob Rolfe. That June they self-released the demo EP Nodding Acquaintance for sale at concerts and through their website. Two further independent EPs, Sorry, You're Not a Winner and 2004’s Anything Can Happen in the Next Half Hour, expanded their audience and reinforced their choice to operate without major-label support. While maintaining a demanding concert itinerary, the group cultivated a presence on MySpace and performed on the Gibson/MySpace stage at the 2006 Download Festival. That summer they established Ambush Reality and delivered the digital single “Mothership.” By year’s end Enter Shikari became only the second unsigned act to sell out London’s Astoria.
Their first official album, Take to the Skies, arrived in March 2007 and reached the British Top Five behind the hit single “Anything Can Happen in the Next Half Hour.” The April 2009 release of “Juggernauts” heralded Common Dreads, issued that June. After extensive touring they convened in Bangkok, Thailand with producer and former Sikth guitarist Dan Weller in 2011. A Flash Flood of Colour followed in early 2012. Following another intense touring cycle they reunited with Weller in 2013. In 2014 they joined the Warped Tour and appeared at Reading and Leeds Festivals. Late that year they announced The Mindsweep, which surfaced in January 2015. At the close of 2015 they captured the Live and Acoustic from Alexandra Palace EP in a rarely used section of the historic London venue ahead of their full arena performance the following February. A recording of that February 2016 show appeared at year’s end, presenting sixteen tracks drawn from their catalog. They closed 2016 with the standalone singles “Redshift” and “Hoodwinker,” marking the conclusion of the Mindsweep period. Early 2017 brought an extensive European tour celebrating the tenth anniversary of Take to the Skies; its finale at Slam Dunk Festival coincided with the premiere of “Supercharge,” which incorporated grime elements and featured London MC Big Narstie. The Spark emerged that September. Subsequent travels across Europe, Japan, and North America generated the limited-edition live sets Take to the Skies Live in Moscow May 2017 and Live at Alexandra Palace 2. Rou Reynolds took production duties for the sixth album, Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible, an ambitious semi-concept work that showcased the band’s broadest stylistic range to date and peaked at number two on the U.K. album charts upon its 2020 release.
Moratorium (Broadcasts from the Interruption) followed in 2021, comprising live and acoustic recordings made remotely during COVID-19 lockdown. The year 2023 opened with the single “(Pls) Set Me on Fire,” drawn from the seventh album A Kiss for the Whole World, which appeared that April. Extensive touring yielded numerous recordings that surfaced a year later on Dancing on the Frontline alongside remixes and bonus material spanning the post-A Kiss for the Whole World era.
