(Photo by Tom Pullen)

Whatever you may think about Enter Shikari’s music, which is often too swiftly pigeonholed into the seemingly ubiquitous genre of ‘screamo,’ the quartet from St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England have been- to put it in their own words- “abusing music’s worthless boundaries” and creating ripples in the alternative scene since 2003 with their unique and ferocious blend of hardcore punk, electronica, drum and bass, alternative rock, metal, trance, et cetera et cetera.

But Enter Shikari is far more than just a band that does an excellent job of stretching musical genres to their absolute breaking point- it is a political powerhouse with the band’s scorning lyrics critiquing societal issues ranging from class division to the rampant destruction of the environment. The group’s newest album, The Mindsweep, is arguably the most politically conscious yet, so it’s fair to say that the band has no intentions of toning down its message of peace and solidarity anytime soon.

It is imperative to point out, however, that Enter Shikari’s lyrics are certainly not just for show. Even a brief interaction will demonstrate that the group consists of down-to-earth, motivated and approachable Englishmen who simply want to take the podium that they’ve created for themselves and spread a positive message of unity to a dedicated fan base.

I say this with such confidence as I have experienced Enter Shikari’s unequivocal care for its fans first-hand. On extremely short notice vocalist/lyricist Rou Reynolds and guitarist Rory Clewlow took the time to sit down with me on their tour bus for nearly an hour, thus allowing me to conduct my first ever interview for my near unknown blog.

As the few of you who have read my blog will know, I started writing with the intention of providing an Englishman’s experience with living in the United States. What better excuse than to interview a band that is more English than tea and crumpets, is politically and culturally contemporary, and that is currently touring the United States?

Reminiscing on my first few days in Long Beach, where I was a slightly intimidated by a nice old man approaching me unprovoked and asking about my day, I inquired what cultural differences the guys observe on their annual trips to the United States. Rory explained that the difference with crowds isn’t very drastic, but he echoed my sentiments about the friendly nature of strangers.

“The big difference is how approachable people are. You could just speak to someone in the street and that’s totally normal, but in England you’d be like: ‘Ugh what does this guy want? What’s he selling’ or you’d be suspicious,” said Rory. “When I first came over here I thought it was really crass, but I’ve actually grown to like it. You can talk to people and they don’t think you’re a nutcase.”

I’d love to tell my English friends that he’s exaggerating, but he’s really not. You do get used to friendly strangers approaching you out of the blue. It’s a concept I can’t expect anybody – except perhaps Northerners – to understand.

I was also curious to know how much time the band got to soak in the local culture and surroundings, which is something I wish I could do more of in between my studies. Unexpectedly, Rou enlightened me that the answer is not much time at all really.

“On show days- today, for example- we were lucky to just go 2K down the road to go to a little food place and that was the most of our excursions, really. Even on day offs, you’re usually so knackered all you want to do is hang out by the pool of the hotel really,” said Rou.

After reaffirming my initial impressions with moving over to the United States and learning that being in a touring rock band is not as leisurely as one may think, I moved on to talk about the band’s recent tour of England- how it’s by far the biggest yet, and how the guys felt to be back on their ‘home turf’ of smaller venues.

Both Rory and Rou explained to me the appeal of playing larger venues: a bigger budget for LED screens, lights and various other novelties.

“We used those things as an extension of the show and our creativity- to express it on a different level,” said Rory.

This being said, Rou commented that he found it interesting what I’d been saying about Enter Shikari evoking the image of smaller, more intimate venues. Before the arena tour, this was how he viewed his band, but he said the experience has completely changed his perspective and ambitions.

To put it in Laymen’s terms for you – as someone who has seen Enter Shikari in 250 person maximum capacity clubs as well as on the main stage of major European festivals – the guys really can bring their unmatchable intensity and entertainment to a stage of any size. It’s less about the venue and more about the performers themselves.

But experiencing Enter Shikari isn’t just about the four guys on stage. It’s just as much about the hundreds- or in some cases thousands- of people surrounding you, bouncing off each other in mosh pits, crowd surfing, dancing and screaming lyrics so intensely their lungs might explode. So how does Enter Shikari create such an atmosphere? Just one gig will show that Enter Shikari fans are different to other obsessive fan-bases- they’re intense and dedicated, yet respectful.

It’s rare that a band creates a fan base that’s dedicated but for the most part doesn’t cross the line of, as Rou put it, ‘mental fanness.’ To Rou, this rare mix of intense admiration and simultaneous respect is a result of the band’s determination to maintain an air of approachability and normality.

“We’re there, we hang out on merch this side, we DJ after shows and meet people there, we come out from the back of the stage after shows and meet whoever’s waiting,” said Rou.

Rou believes that artists shouldn’t put themselves on pedestals, as he often speaks out against other bands extorting fans for thousands of dollars for VIP meet and greet packages. To Rou, it’s important to make it a natural experience for the band and whoever its meeting to create a level playing field between the band and its fans.

As a dedicated, long-time Enter Shikari fan myself, one of the reasons my respect for the quartet flourished so rapidly is due to how much they made me care about English politics. Whenever I’m outraged by Conservative developments back across the pond I reflect on the angsty punk vibes of the group’s third record, A Flash Flood of Colour, and can’t help but be thankful.

According to Rou – the primary political drive behind the music – the political edge emerged after the popularity of the band’s first album with the realisation that people were actually listening to its music.

“We realised that this couldn’t be just a cordoned off bit of personal space anymore. Someone has put a loud speaker in front of our mouths, and we need something to talk about,” said Rou.

Rou explained he wanted to remain true to his punk roots and stay as far away as possible from ‘soulless drivel pop music,’ to avoid the mediocrity of “not saying anything, just recycling the same benign lyrics over and over again.”

The Mindsweep dealt with issues such as the dismantlement of the National Health Service, class division and racism, so I asked what was in store for the band’s next record. In other words, what issues are currently going on in the United Kingdom that more people need to know about?

“There’s this big overarching idea coming from the conservative government that’s this neo-liberal idea of wanting to privatise everything and make us pay for public services,” said Rou.

I recently- very briefly- had to pay a visit to an American hospital, and paying for my health was not a welcome experience that I would recommend students should go through on their year abroad. To quote the guys themselves: Illness is not an indulgence that we should pay for.

As the interview began to draw to a close, I was curious about the challenges of being a determinedly English band trying to make it in America and how this inherent ‘Englishness’ has affected their success across the pond.

Minus having to change the name of the band’s single ‘anaesthetist’ to ‘anaesthesiologist’ to please American listeners, Rou likes to think that on the surface their music is very English, with influences in jungle, grime and garage but when the listener digs a little deeper there’s a wide range of American influences as well as a lot of other world music.

I tend to agree when the two made – what they admitted to be a sweeping generalisation – that music in the United States can be very saturated, with a lot of bands that are very similar, which creates a pressure for bands to adhere to a certain style.

“In England – perhaps because the press is a bit more critical – I think everyone’s a bit more self conscious of wanting to do something interesting, something different, and you’re pushed perhaps,” said Rou.

I’ve heard it said, albeit paraphrased, by musicians time and time again that without people to listen to it, music is just vibrations resonating around a room- in fact, it doesn’t become music until there is an audience to consume it.

To me, this is what Enter Shikari’s music is all about- using the vibrations that are produced by vocal chords and instruments to reach an audience, create music and, ultimately, spread a message.

When I asked what the guys think the average person can do to make the world a better place, Rou simply said: “Being more accepting.”

When you look out into the audience and see hundreds upon hundreds of people singing a message of solidarity and acceptance, you can be sure to appreciate that those four guys are doing their part to make the world a better place.