ENTER SHIKARI

Rou Reynolds, Liam 'Rory' Clewlow, Cliff Batten and Rob Rolfe on their forthcoming album, spacesuits and St. Albans...

Left: Enter Shikari live at Liverpool Academy - October 14, 2008
Photo by Shirlaine Forrest

They've been ridiculed and revered in varying degrees, but Enter Shikari are still the biggest thing to hit rock-dance crossover since The Prodigy's 'Fat Of The Land' hit the charts.

Formed in 2003 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, these guys need little introduction. Their 2007 debut, Take To The Skies elbowed Enter Shikari up to the top of the rock scene, where they became renown for their unusual blend of electronica and hardcore; as well as for rave-like live shows that made them the first ever unsigned band to sell out the Astoria. Even more impressive, despite numerous offers, they're still doing it on their own terms. This back-to-the-toilet-circuit is punctuated by few bigger dates - including tonight's sold out gig at Nottingham's Rock City.

About to enter the studio to work on their second full-length, Ali Ryland caught up with vocalist Rou Reynolds, guitarist Liam 'Rory' Clewlow, bassist Chris Batten and drummer Rob Rolfe for the low-down on their forthcoming album, spacesuits and St. Albans...

It's only the third night of the tour, but how's it going so far?

Rou - "Pretty good so far, the first one was only a warm up show and it was quite... shambolic! You know, the first show back after three months, it's like trying to get a full, big machine back up in working order, it's bound to be rusty. We had a few technical problems, my vocals weren't too good..!"

You've chosen to play venues that aren't frequented by many bands (other than tonight!). Is this to give smaller towns a chance?

Rory - "Pretty much, it's not the biggest tour we've done, certainly. I think it's just good fun, get back to your roots."

Are you quite serious when touring, or do you party after each gig?

Rou - "Oh no..."

Rory - "We don't party at all..."

Chris - "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Rou!"

Rou - "Yeah we go rave with whoever. We're having an after party here tonight, that's just for everyone who wants to come party with us.

You're due to begin recording after this autumn tour. What can fans expect from your second album?

Rou - "Bongos! And we're going to drop the electric guitar, have a lot of percussion..."

Rory - "Basically a lot of stomping."

Rou - "We're going to throw a bit of everything in."

Rory - "Some reggae tunes, drum 'n' bass..." Rob - "...and obviously rock, hardcore and dance."

Have you got the album/song titles planned yet?

Rou - "No idea for the album..."

Rory - "We have a few songs, like 'Hectic', 'Step Up' and 'Antwerpen'."

Where will you be recording, and who's producing the new album?

Rou - "We're off to the Isle of Wight in a few weeks, after the tour."

Rory - "We've got Andy Gray [Producer and composer who's worked with Tori Amos and U2. Unfortunately, he's also reponsible for the Big Brother theme tune - Ed.] to produce."

Is your new single 'We Can Breathe In Space They Just Don't Want Us To Escape' going to be on there?

Rory - "We don't think it will be, it's just an older song that we never released before."

Rou - "...and we want the album to be all completely new stuff."

Why has it been released now rather than later?

Rory - "The old version was knocking around on limewire for ages, so we revamped it, made it better..."

Rob - "...and we can just release it when we want. We wanted to do something, so we did."

The video for the new single is pretty odd. What made you plump for the space suit idea?

Rob - "Actually it was the guy who directed it, Andy Smith, who came up with the idea. We thought it was quirky, and it was low budget. Andy directed 'Sorry You're Not A Winner' too, he's worked with both really well."

Have you experienced any stalkers or weird fans?

Rob - "Only at gigs, when they all come together! And in St Albans, where girls attack you when you're with your girlfriend..." [As widely reported, Rob was walking through St. Albans when they encountered a few fangirls. As they were walking away, one of the girls, in full view of Rob's girlfriend, tried to feel him up - Ed.]

What bands are you most into at the moment?

Rou - "I like At The Drive In, I'm getting back into them a lot." Rob - "I listen to DJs rather than bands mostly!"

Looking back, how do you feel about your debut album, Take To The Skies?

Rob - "I thought it was good, it did the job at the time. We were doing something different."

Rou - "It reflects what we were thinking. It's right for us at that time, so we're happy with that, and the way it sold!"

Did you learn anything from it that you would like to change this time around?

Rou - "We definitely need more time on our next one. We recorded Take To The Skies in two weeks, it was very rushed. Now we have five weeks to experiment, and chill out."

What are your plans for the future? How long will Enter Shikari be Enter Shikari?

Rory - "For as long as we can stand each other!"

Rou - "6 and a half years. Exactly."

Chris - "We'll just see where it takes us..."

Enter Shikari backstage with Noel Fielding by Shirlaine Forrest

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New single 'We Can Breathe In Space, They Just Don't Want Us To Escape' is out November 3rd on Ambush Reality.

For the latest studio updates, see www.entershikari.com/inthestudio/

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by Ali Ryland

Further links

Enter Shikari.com

Online home of the Hertfordshire starlets

Enter Shikari on Myspace.com

Listen to the genre meshing danceathon of Enter Shikari