Enter Shikari / My Minds Weapon

Blimey, so it seems that already the new-rave bandwagon is already beginning to move on, as it seems that the metal kids want in on the action. Rather than having some beeps and bleeps over the top of standard indie music, we now have a band in Enter Shikari that play uncompromising metal over full-on rave music, something to keep everyone happy.

Support came from My Minds Weapon, an Aberdonian band that are like a heavier Funeral for a Friend, only, you know, good, and SNES-rockers Colon Open Bracket, who in the eyes of this reviewer fall in the grounds of genius, with songs like ‘Codes’ and ‘Yeah Yeah’ giving everybody the urge to dig out their retro games consoles and have an all-night party to Super Mario Brothers.

Tonight’s rave-metal mashup theme brings together a certain dress code – wear a black t-shirt but for your accessories remember: if it glows, it goes. Sadly the venue hasn’t got its act together yet, only allowing ten people at a time outside, leading to big queues just to get some fresh air, as the venue was literally like a sauna, with condensation dripping off every wall.

By the time Enter Shikari take the stage, the venue is packed, and songs like upcoming single ‘Sorry, You’re Not A Winner’ get the moshpit well and truly going, and when the music works, it’s fantastic, it’s heavy but you can somehow dance to it, something that’s been missing from guitar based music for quite a while. However, when it doesn’t work, it just sounds messy, as if the rave element is merely an afterthought.

They’re the sort of band that will no doubt become massive and receive plaudits from the likes of Kerrang, and they have a few songs to stick in peoples minds but tonight Enter Shikari just sound confused. They’re performers, yes, but they could really do with a depth in their catalogue of songs before they take the step up to the next level.

FUTURE GIGS