Live Review: Enter Shikari – A Kiss For The Whole World Tour: UK 2 – SWX, Bristol

Enter Shikari are a band that often plays by their own rule book, so for them to announce 3 rounds of tours in support of their new album shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone. Round 1 took place back in February and Round 2 seemed to sneak up on us! We took a trip down to Bristol to catch the final night of the second leg of the tour!

What better way to open the night than with the amazing Cody Frost? As they took to the stage, the already pretty full SWX showed their appreciation for the band. An energetic and charismatic set helped to loosen up any stiff muscles in the crowd and track like the unreleased ‘Wot?’ and ‘Berlin’ saw the audience’s collective heart grow fonder in unison. Not wanting to risk leaving the fans with excess energy, Cody Frost and co delivered an emphatic performance of ‘Redundant’ to close out their set.

Up next was one of the UK’s most exciting prospects in the form of As Everything Unfolds! With a new album coming out the same day as Enter Shikari’s (convenient that!) the set was primarily the singles off the new record. Opening their set with the title track ‘Ultraviolet’ went down extremely well before the band launched into ‘Hiding From Myself’, one of two songs off their debut album ‘Within Each Lies The Other’. ‘Flip Side’ brought out the first mosh pit of the evening while the band dropped a sneak peek at the next single off the new album titled ‘Slow Down’. This was followed by ‘Blossom’ and ‘Felt Like Home’ before culminating with a stunning performance of ‘On The Inside’ which saw a few fans surf the Bristol seas for the first time!

The moment everyone had been waiting for was finally upon us and as the lights flickered and Shikari took to the stage, the atmosphere was simply electric! Opening the show with the new single ‘It Hurts’ before unleashing ‘Juggernauts’ was a concoction that would only ever end in a good time. ‘{The Dreamer’s Hotel}’ would see singer Rou test the boundaries of his parkour as he scaled the side railing to get a bit closer to the fans while ‘Halcyon’ and ‘Hectic’ brought out the best vibes for the Shikari faithful in attendance.

Not wanting to stay in one place for long, Shikari quickly dropped into ‘The Void Stares Back’ as the all-consuming mosh pit raged on in the background! Unity and equality were achieved for all during ‘Satellites**’, and the fans got to feel the pressure during a crystal clear rendition of ‘The Pressures On’. Bringing a bit more danger to the evening’s proceedings was ‘Bloodshot’ with its contagious beat that had the entire crowd dancing as if they were alone in their bedroom! From one of their newest songs to a bonafide classic in the form of ‘Labyrinth’ sent the fans into a frenzy that could only be contained by the bands everlasting charisma that shone brightly through ‘Radiate’.

Singing voices were once again put to the test during ‘(Pls) Set Me On Fire’ before the band reintroduced the crowd to Cody Frost as she left everything she had on the stage to deliver an insane performance of ‘Bull’. Closing out the main set was ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’ however it was a blend of the original, the Pendulum mix and a new 2023 remix to bring the song back to the modern day!

Often you see bands launch into encores full steam ahead however Rou took to the stage on his own and delivered a solo performance of ‘Stop The Clocks’ which was preceeded with a request for the fans to tell him to “Slow The Fuck Down” if he sped up – which he inevitably did. ‘System…’ was performed acapella style, before ‘…Meltdown’ shocked Bristol to its core! I’m convinced people in Bath could feel the bass during this track. Finishing of the set was ‘Live Outside’ which saw many in the crowd say RIP to their voices as they belted each and every word back to the band.

Enter Shikari not only put on one hell of a show, but they also brought an arena-level feel to the clubs of the UK! This is no easy feat! Their choice of support was excellent for this leg as both Cody Frost and As Everything Unfolds sounded remarkable and their energy only added to the spectacle of a Shikari show. Keep your eyes peeled for both of these acts in the future! As for Shikari, they continue to prove why they are one of the UK’s best live acts in the scene and performances like this stick with fans for a lifetime. Until round 3!