Enter Shikari

Take To The Skies

Thousands of kids the length and breadth of the country (and beyond), from city to suburb to siding that have been moshing, windmilling and, hell, even human-pyramidding to the music of Enter Shikari for the past few years.... with 'Take To The Skies' debut reaching# 4 in the UK albums chart.

The Myspace phenomenon is well documented and Enter Shikari have certainly never pimped themselves on it, but its hard to argue with over 5-million plays. Rather it helps document the growth of a band that has long been the definition of independent.

Going about the important business of being in a band the good old fashioned way, singer Rou Reynolds, bassist Chris Batten, drummer Rob Rolfe and guitarist Rory Clewlow bought a van and went out on the road in search of action, adventure and teeth-cutting as soon as they officially formed in 2003. Honing both sound and live show in such a public way has helped the thousands of kids that religiously check for the next time the band is in town feel a part of that development, and can in part explain the importance with which they still hold interaction with their audience. It's a mutual relationship; the mid-set human pyramid that occasionally forms in the middle of the crowd is an unbelievable spectacle for the unexpecting, and blowing an entire gig fee on lazers isn't the kind of behavior you'd expect.

'Take To The Skies' is the sound of a band that have obviously never had to pander to the creative over-seeing of a record label marketing department. Not that its disorganized or unkempt, just so gloriously unblemished from outside influence and so unapologetically euphoric that it could only be the product of four mates loving every moment of making music. It is made up of two styles rarely lumped together but in this context seem made for each other. The endorphin rush of a sweat-soaked gurning headcase reaching for the lazers is the same as that of a kid at a hardcore show windmilling his way through a moshpit after all, and with 500 inter-city journeys from gig to gig under their belts soundtracked by the likes of Faithless, 36 Crazyfists, The Prodigy and Comeback Kid, to Enter Shikari the combination is the most natural thing in the world.

The band's debut single, 'Sorry, You're Not A Winner' catches the band at some of their most powerful screamo-trance energetic best, replete with maniacal breakdowns and eyes-rolling synths. The video is a brilliant example of DIY..... them in a room with their friends.

'Take To The Skies 'was produced by the band and recorded in two short weeks in Reading, Berkshire. Despite a lack of time and money, or a big name producer to tell them how to sound, Enter Shikari have managed to turn in potentially a most powerful, and yet uplifting, album.

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