Birmingham Arena Archives -

December 1, 2017

THE GALLERY: Enter Shikari @ Arena Birmingham 24.11.17

Words & pics by Eleanor Sutcliffe

The last time I saw Enter Shikari, I was young, drunk (sorry mum) and throwing myself around a circle pit in Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse. Since then I like to think I’ve grown up a bit, but their politically charged music is something I’ve never managed to get out of my head. So when I heard they’d be playing in Arena Birmingham, I knew there was no way I could afford to miss it.

First up was Newport born and bred Astroid Boys. I’m kicking myself for not seeing these guys earlier on the local circuit as they were absolutely brilliant. Their mashup of grime and punk music looks awful on paper and yet these guys manage to pull it off flawlessly in real life.

Tracks such as ‘Foreigners’ off their latest album, Broke, had the crowd bouncing and dancing along like it was no one’s business. Their sound is fresh and exciting – like nothing I’ve heard of late. These guys are sure to go far and securing a tour supporting Enter Shikari is just the beginning of it.

Next, was Lower than Atlantis. Ignore everything you read about these guys delivering lackluster shows, because they were on fire this evening.

Mike Duce’s responsibilities are taken up with rhythm guitar and vocals, so granted he may not be the most energetic front man but their set was polished to perfection. Varied enough to give the crowd a taste of their newer material from their most recent album, Safe In Sound, but still delivering on the older material that fans fell in love with such as ‘Here We Go’ and ‘English Kids in America’.

And finally, Enter Shikari. Although I knew how much they had invested in the visual aspect of the show nothing could have prepared me for the theatrical lengths they had gone to. A large screen flickered above the stage, displaying a flight radar that synced with a quadraphonic sound system which surrounded the room. The sound of low flying aircraft echoed around Arena Birmingham to a buzzing telegram explaining a mission to the crowd. The atmosphere was intoxicating, with the build up causing furor amongst the audience.

Bursting on to the title track of their latest album, The Spark, Enter Shikari proceeded to deliver what I consider to be the best show I’ve seen this year. Their energy was dazzling, with every band member cavorting across the stage to a mass of strobe lighting and smoke. Tracks such as ‘Undercover Agents’ were announced by Rou hitting them into a typewriter which was projected onto the large screen above.

Enter Shikari’s theatrical capabilities knew no bounds for the evening, with every single song being an individual show in itself. And my God, did the crowd love it… From the frenzy inducing tracks such as ‘The Last Garrison’ to Rou’s distilled and heartbreaking rendition of ‘Airfield’, the Arena Birmingham audience could be heard (and seen) screaming along to every verse and chorus.

It’s always an odd experience watching a band who mean so much to a group of people. Settling myself on the balcony, I took a moment to watch the crowd – it was unlike anything I’d seen before. They were not reaching out to grab the band members, they were holding their friends hands and singing and dancing in groups.

It’s refreshing to see a band with such politically charged music also mean so much to a group of people. I never wanted this show to end. Enter Shikari, I salute you. You’ve blown me away, yet again.

Enter Shikari @ Arena Birmingham 24.11.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

For more on Enter Shikari, visit www.entershikari.com

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Lower the Atlantis – supporting Enter Shikari @ Arena Birmingham 24.11.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

For more on Lower the Atlantis, visit www.lowerthanatlantis.co

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Astroid Boys – supporting Enter Shikari @ Arena Birmingham 24.11.17 / Eleanor Sutcliffe – Birmingham Review

For more on Astroid Boys, visit www.astroid-boys.com

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For more from Arena Birmingham, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.arenabham.co.uk

For more from DHP Family, including all national tours and venues, visit www.dhpfamily.com

November 21, 2017November 21, 2017

BPREVIEW: Enter Shikari @ Arena Birmingham 24.11.17

Words by Eleanor Sutcliffe

Enter Shikari will be performing on the 24^th of November at Arena Birmingham, coming to the city as part of their European tour – before heading off to North America in the New Year.

Tickets are priced at £31.98 (inc booking fee) as presented by DHP Family. For direct gig info, including venue details and online tickets sales, click here.

Enter Shikari sure have been busy this year. Following their previous, sold out, European tour they performed a number of shows across the UK in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of Take to the Skies – including a high profile show at this year’s Slam Dunk festival. The band also released their latest album, The Spark, in September – proceeded by their single ‘Live Outside’ in August. Well received by their fans, and dubbed by NME as ‘a Biffy Clyro style crossover classic’, Enter Shikari’s newest release is taking the alternative music scene somewhat by storm.

And why not. Enter Shikari’s angsty, emotional lyrics and uniquely heavy, electronic sound have always hit home with fans, but never as much as now. With Brexit looming, Enter Shikari’s politically-fuelled lyrics have become a lifeline to fans who are struggling to cope with these tumulus times.

Tracks such as ‘Take My Country Back’ scream lines such as “Now look what we’ve done to ourselves, We’ve really gone and fucked it this time”, proclaiming unity as being the best option for the country. For a generation who feel that politically their views are lost and ignored, tracks and lyrics such as these hit home.

And whilst Take to the Skies has always been seen as the Enter Shikari’s masterpiece, it may be time for The Spark to take its place. This tour has been long awaited by fans, and is set to be a sell out across the UK.

Support comes from alternative rock band Lower Than Atlantis, and punk rock-turned-grime band Astroid Boys.

‘Take My Country Back’ – Enter Shikari (recorded at Paste Studios, New York)

Enter Shikari perform at Arena Birmingham on Friday 24th November, with support from Lower Than Atlantis and Astroid Boys – as presented by DHP Family. For direct gig info, including venue details and online tickets sales, click here.

For more on Enter Shikari, visit www.entershikari.com

For more on Lower Than Atlantis, visit www.lowerthanatlantis.co

For more on Astroid Boys, visit www.astroid-boys.com

For more from Arena Birmingham, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.arenabham.co.uk

For more from DHP Family, including their national portfolio of tours and venues, visit www.dhpfamily.com

November 16, 2017

BPREVIEW: Royal Blood @ Arena Birmingham 18.11.17

Words by Eleanor Sutcliffe / Pics courtesy of Warner Music

Fresh from the release of their latest album How Did We Get So Dark?, Royal Blood will be playing at Arena Birmingham on Saturday 18^th November, with support coming in the form of Texan rockers At The Drive In and Brighton’s indie four piece, Black Honey.

Doors open at 5:30pm, with tickets priced at £22.90 (plus bf) as presented by SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours. For direct gig information, including full set times, venue details and online ticket sales, click here.

Royal Blood are following this Birmingham date with numerous others across the UK. Please click here for full tour details.

It’s been an exciting year for Royal Blood. On the release of How Did We Get So Dark?, tracks such as ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’ and ‘Lights Out’ tore the UK charts apart earlier this year. The album itself reached No1 in the UK album charts – unsurprising, really, for a band who’ve been dubbed by critics from NME to The Telegraph as the next biggest thing in British rock.

Hailing originally from Brighton, the band have steadily been on the rise since the release of their debut single Out of The Black in 2013. From this, they scored several high profile shows including supporting the Arctic Monkeys in Finsbury Park, and later scooped a nomination for the BBC Sound of 2014 award.

It’s not hard to see why Royal Blood have become such a popular choice over the past few years. Their style is reminiscent of old garage rock, but they produce a heck of a lot of sound for just two people.

Royal Blood‘s vocalist, Mike Kerr, shunned a guitar, settling for a bass passed through an octave pedal that produces two signals, one of which heads to a bass amp and the other which runs to a guitar amp. This creates a sound so large and thunderous that it’s hard to believe that there’s not a full band behind the scenes. But that’s the sheer charm of this duo – their sound isn’t just big in the sense that they are a two piece, but it’s big enough to rival that of any other band.

With the 10 date Royal Blood UK tour beginning at the Manchester Arena on Thursday 16th November, and ending in their home town of Brighton on 29^th November, the stakes are high for this duo. And with nearly a sold out Arena awaiting them in Birmingham, I can only begin to imagine the reception they will receive when they land in the city on Saturday night.

‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ – Royal Blood

For more on Royal Blood, visit www.royalbloodband.com

For more on At The Drive In, visit www.atthedriveinmusic.com

For more on Black Honey, visit www.soundcloud.com/blackhoneyuk

For more from Birmingham Arena, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.arenabham.co.uk

For more from Gigs and Tours/ SJM Concerts, visit www.gigsandtours.com