Enter Shikari @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne 11/11/2022
The Forum in Melbourne would have to be one of my favourite venues, it looks absolutely stunning and I’m yet to hear a bad mix there, it’s magic. It has been a few years since I was last here and it still blows my mind when walking in. For those of you who haven’t been there, think a Greek auditorium inside a venue, an incredibly high ceiling with lights that look like stars, my words won’t do it justice, just go to a show there. It’s the perfect setting for tonight’s upbeat and energetic crowd who are an incredibly mixed bag, there were death metal shirts, the hardcore/punk shirts, the goth chicks, the woo girls and the guys that looked like they just finished work and come straight to the gig! Everyone was keen to be here.
Opening tonight are local up and comers Windwaker, who I found out during the set was the “new” singers first time fronting the band, apparently there was a change of the guard recently. For a first show taking the front, this guy nailed it. There is a reason these guys are getting more and more hype, they deserve it! Straight from the opening notes they came out hard and fast, the energy was high, and they smashed through their set with incredible precision. They had the crowd in the palm of their hands from the start with their catchy as hell riffs and then won over the filling room with an awesome cover of Britney Spears, Toxic. Great choice for opening tonight’s gig!
Creeper, punk, goth, English rockers had a hard time following up Windwakers incredible set but goddamn, they got there, won over and made a room full of fans out of The Forum by the end of their set. Going from energetic electro metal to a mix between Misfits and My Chemical Romance was a massive difference and you could feel it in the crowd, people were unsure but for their first Aussie gig ever, Creeper showed us the reason that they are the main supports for Enter Shikari. Their energy was incredible and regardless of crowd reaction or how little they had at the start, that front man riled them up got them to start a crowd chant and sing along. They have a female keyboard player who stayed to the back most of the time and had backing vocals occasionally but mid set she grabs a mic and comes center stage and sings a duet song with the male lead and they played their parts well, it was incredible to watch. Their set on a grandiose big sounding song that was the perfect ending and switch to the headliners.
Enter Shikari, the reason we all came out tonight, they bring with them a message of human kindness and disgust at the corporate/capitalist ideals, anyone who has listened to them or seen them live know they carry this mantra or outlook in life. Their crowd have the same vibe, the entire night, everyone is friendly and there to experience the ride of the show. Coming out to The Great Unknown, the crowd immediately starts singing and it doesn’t let up until the end of their set. Rou sets the rules, forget the outside world for the time of the show and 2nd rule is dance like nobody is watching, which everyone did. They blast through a great set of classics and latest material like The Pressure’s on, Dreamers Hotel and Juggernauts. When playing Destablise and Anaesthetist, the venue physically shakes when it hits the breakdown sections and the crowd are jumping, a man-made earthquake, there is no other feeling like it. The band take to the crowd towards the end of the set during Mothership, Chris and Rory jump down for a mosh and then Rou goes rogue and runs around the entire venue jumping through the crowd and crowd surfing everywhere. They end their set with a crowd singalong to Live Outside with and amazing coloured light show to match.
As previously mentioned, the Enter Shikari message carries some weight to it these days, it’s a reminder that you should be kind to each other, we are each human individuals that should be looking out for each other instead of having this ideal that we are against each other in all aspects of life. To live in the moment of the show and forget the worries of the outside world for 90mins is a small reprieve that they like to remind people. I don’t tend to get preachy in these things, but these guys live by their message, check them out if you haven’t already, well worth the listen.
