ENTER SHIKARI / FEVER 333 – LEEDS FIRST DIRECT ARENA – 09/02/24
It was at Temple Newsam in Leeds where Enter Shikari last left the stage after their final emphatic UK show of 2023 headlining the Rock Scene stage at Slam Dunk Festival. They finally return to Leeds this year for their first UK show to kick off their ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ tour, but this time it’s at the First Direct Arena.
Before Enter Shikari take to the stage, support act Fever 333 (7.5) are thrown in to get the Leeds crowd warmed up, and they’re always up to the challenge of getting people moving. The line-up may have changed a little recently, however frontman Jason Butler is no different in his approach as he comes out screaming his way through their set with great intent. Taking to the stage with ‘Burn It’ and ‘Made in America’ they get things off on the front foot and no part of the stage is left uncovered. The whole set is filled with rageful tracks and it’s only a in the few moments between songs where calmness is present when Jason speaks to the crowd. There are moments of complete chaos unfolding on stage including Jason clambering up on the top of the speakers to stand tall before launching himself into the end of ‘Hunting Season’ and sliding across the stage throwing himself around with the band. Nothing less than a scorching set is what we’ve learned to expect of Fever 333 and you couldn’t have asked for a better support act.
After a short break the curtain is dropped to reveal a huge stage with LED screens surrounding it. Out of the darkness appears frontman Rou Reynolds speaking out the intro in the form of ‘System…’ before he rockets us all into ‘…Meltdown’ as the stage bursts with bright light and sound. ENTER SHIKARI (8) have entered the building! We’d expect nothing less than explosive energy from them and they certainly don’t disappoint.
Every track on the list boasts something different to the set, whether it be a throwback to our emo days for some nostalgia, or diving deep into the rave scene, we’re swung back and forth through Enter Shikari’s 20 years of unique and blistering sound. Even the way the band have considered the visuals and pyro only further enhance the experience as lasers are bouncing and sparklers are firing throughout.
Off the back of their 2023 album release ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ you’d expect the set to be heavily filled with newer material the band are itching to play live, and a good portion of the set is just that. ‘Giant Pacific Octopus (I don’t know you anymore)’, ‘Jailbreak’, ‘Goldfish’ and ‘It Hurts’ all feature to name a few. But a nice twist on some older material finds Rou sat with his guitar up high on the LED block with a cityscape singing stripped back solo versions of ‘The Pressure’s On’, ‘Gap In The Fence’ and a little bit of ‘Juggernauts thrown in-between for good measure.
It’s hard to believe this is their first arena tour in their 20 years as a band with how well they field themselves on stage creating such a dynamic live experience, but using their experience slaying festivals like Slam Dunk, they have the foundation to build upon and they do that by taking it to the next level with a highly experiential show.
There are sections where the set is filled with unique moments to keep everyone on their toes, for example Rou diving into an LED screen disguised as a water tank like we’re a part of a magic show as we enter the lively ‘Bloodshot’, or even the band popping up on a B stage by the sound desk as Rou wanders around the upper tier crowd for an up close and personal performance of ‘The Sights’ with the fans.
As the end of the set closes in we’re treated to an explosion of rainbow confetti filling the arena for ‘Satellites* *’ as they share their love with the crowd singing through the contagious chorus, and ‘{ The Dreamer’s Hotel }’ pounds its way through to close out the main section of the set emphatically.
It falls to golden oldie ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’ to have Enter Shikari burst back onto the stage for a welcome encore with their famous clapping intro bursting into chaos and mosh pits, before they break down into the remix version for the second part to get everyone dancing. It would be rude not to close the set with something from the new album, and Afterall it’s the ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ tour, so what a more fitting end to the show than with the album title track sending us on our way as the sparklers fly from the stage.
It’s taken some time for Enter Shikari to take on an arena tour, but it would be criminal not to have their experimental electronic show blasting out on huge sound systems that it was so perfectly built for in front of thousands of people across the country, and even world.
Check out the full set of live photos of FEVER 333 HERE and ENTER SHIKARI HERE!
(PLEASE DO NOT CROP OR EDIT PHOTOS)
Photo Credit: © Danny Peart Photography 2024
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