It is 7.30 pm on Friday in London, and the 2000-capacity room at Here at Outernet is filling up. You can hear excited chatter all around, anticipation from a crowd that has been promised an event full of the best type of live music.
As the lights dim, the first act of the night, Cody Frost, bounces onto the stage. The delivery of a range of melodic rock riffs accompanied by their soulful voice is more than enough to get the audience moving. Their unique appearance and stage presence only adds to the overall good vibes in the room. Although the set only lasted 30 minutes, you can tell from the enthusiasm that people loved it. I am sure they made new fans tonight.
After a brief interval, the next artist of the night, As Everything Unfolds, makes it on the stage. A five-piece new hardcore band from High Wycombe, this isn’t their first time opening for Enter Shikari, and you can tell. Fans jump up and down throughout the venue, screaming the lyrics back. The band’s experience with the type of crowd, plus the addition of Charlie’s powerful vocals, makes for an impressive performance. As they leave the stage, you can feel the suspense in the air. Everyone in the room is now ready, impatient, for the main event.
Before Enter Shikari even takes the stage, you can tell the crowd’s dedication to the performer. The excited cheering from the audience about the placement of specific iconography on stage can best express this. The most obvious of these is the appearance of Sparky, the blue keyboard which, in some ways, has become the mascot of the group’s live show. This audience has high expectations, and we are about to discover their faith isn’t misplaced.
As the intro comes on, the room erupts. From the start of the first song, there would be no other way of describing the feeling than magical. For the whole set, the crowd’s energy grows; they know every line, when to open a mosh pit in time for every song breakdown, and even when to break into a period of soulful singing. The sense of euphoria is undeniable. The band cultivates these emotions beautifully, interacting with the audience regularly and running around.
Frontman Rou Reynolds sprinted up to the balcony to perform a few songs halfway through the set, and you could tell the show’s production had been planned at every level, from the mixes and remixes performed from the stage all the way to the addition of the impressive lighting produced by Pixeled Event Production. Even the setlist is a carefully curated mix of songs spanning their career, with their newer singles blending seamlessly with a range of fan favorites.
As the band’s set heads to a close with a soulful acoustic performance of ‘System Meltdown’ from Rou, you know you have witnessed something special. A band at their best, performing a series of songs to a group of people that can’t get enough of them. This was Enter Shikari live at Here at Outernet on March 17, 2023.
Highwire Magazine 