Enter Shikari (Interview)

by Michael Smith on 8.11.09


Set to tour Europe with The Prodigy, 4Q catches up with Roughton and Liam from Enter Shikari to talk music, touring America and unorthodox recording techniques.

Enter Shikari, meaning “The Hunter” formed back in 2003, after evolving from a previous band Hybrid. Roughton (vocals and electronics): “It was always just a hobby, we started playing music around the age of twelve, covering The Stones, Beatles and Oasis. Gradually we just carried on doing it, performing more and more gigs, and we then started putting together our own stuff. After that “Rory” Liam Clewlow (guitar and vocals) joined and then we became Enter Shikari.”

Their first single release was a double A-side of re-recorded versions of “Sorry You’re Not A Winner” and “OK Time for Plan B” back in October 2006. As they became more established, an array of large offers came in from major record labels, but they choose to go a different path and form their own label “Ambush Reality”.

Roughton: “We’d been selling CD’s at shows and felt this was a bit limited, so decided to jump in at the deep end and start our own label. We were lucky enough to have a publishing deal with Universal, basically came about because the head guy had just pretty much stumbled over us on MySpace, came to meet us and the rest is history. So we were pretty lucky to get some money out of them to get things going.”

With a successful first album extensively toured, and a taste for creating fast paced and eclectic music, Enter Shikari felt it was time to get to work on their follow-up to “Take To The Skies” released in 2007.

Roughton: “We only had about two weeks to record the first album which kind of put us under pressure. This time around we were able to spend about three to four months travelling back and forth from London to the Isle of White working on the record. We did it at a place called Arreton Manor which is set right in the middle of Arreton village on the moors. It’s basically in the middle of nowhere.”

Rory: “There was one pub in the place which we went to most nights to eat and drink, and one shop like fifteen minutes away where we got bits and pieces from, and that was it. There was nothing else there, which was great. It was good to get away from everything, no distractions at all and we could concentrate on the music.”

Roughton: “It was nice to just be able to literally up sticks if things were getting a bit much. There would be times we’d struggle with parts of a particular track, either the direction, or it was proving difficult to play. Often you’d have everyone on your back to get it done so we can move on. It was great to be able to go out and have a walk through the rolling hills to ease the pressure. It’s just something you really appreciate having on your doorstep. We don’t really have that in St.Albans, or anywhere else we’ve recorded.”

Rory: “The actually studio itself was a big old converted barn, which had all the original stone walls and beam roof which gave a really good vibe for recording. We actually slept just above the studio which proved to be the only annoying thing. I can’t even count the number of times I was woken by the sound of either drums or bass being recorded.”

Roughton: “We had Andy Gray producing the album and he’s just up for anything, any kind of experimentation. We never did it but we are hopefully going to do it on the next project, whether it’s an album or a release, we’d planned to burn a piano. When you burn a piano the strings get really taut and make a pinging sound, we just wanted to capture that noise, just something really different.”

Enter Shikari never shy away from trying to get the conditions perfect when creating music; be it burning a piano, or experimenting with cold conditions.

Roughton: We did so many silly things. One of the B Sides, All Eyes on the Saint, has a line “and its cold outside”, its a really sort of atmospheric section. I really wanted to get across that feeling of cold, a kind of shivery type of state. So we recorded it, this being in the middle of winter mind, we went outside at about 1am, me in my boxers and I had Rory and the others pouring cold water down my back with me holding the mic just shivering and recording the vocals.”

Rory: “He actually had a bottle of beer down his boxers in his butt crack!”

Roughton: “It was so cold, bit stupid really.”

Rory: “I think Rob (drums and percussion) drank that one after we’d finished.”

This attention to detail has resulted in some great and unique music. In June 2009 Juggernauts was released as a single reaching #28 in the UK Official Charts. Also they have seen the release of their second album Common Dreads on June 15 2009. The second single, No Sleep Tonight, became their 3rd most successful single reaching #63.

Enter Shikari are yet another band to have their career boosted by the exposure provided by MySpace music, in fact more so than you might think, as they were on director of MySpace Tom’s top friends for a few months which gave instant exposure to everyone registered to MySpace.

Rory: “We were in America, California more specifically, where we’re actually signed to Tiny Evil records, who gets our music distributed, having a meal with the head guy from that label. He was on his phone for ages and then told us his mate Tom was coming down soon to join us. It turned out to be Tom from MySpace. He actually said to us ‘How’s MySpace been for you guys?’ It’s helped us massively but I was a bit drunk and said ‘It’s been shit mate!’ Tom just went ‘…oh.’ and carried on eating. I thought shit, I was only kidding mate and I don’t think he believed me, I felt awful about that because MySpace has done so much for us. Ah well.”

Roughton: “He actually sped off about half way through to go to some playboy mansion party, Rock and Roll.”

It can often be difficult to enter the US music market and Enter Shikari are no exception.

Roughton: “There’s like a central pot we put all of the money in. We don’t work in the same way as most bands do, there is no kind of large lump sum we get every so often that we can use to blow on whatever we like. When we play in the UK the tours work really well. We then have to use the money we make over here to tour America because they always work out to be a massive loss. We just find ourselves trying to claw up a bit more every time we go. Just trying to strike the balance financially over here and there is the key. It’s worth the journey over there as the kids are so enthusiastic, I suppose its because they haven’t had very much of us. They know the songs and when they come and eventually see us they just go mental. It’s a lot like going back to the gigs we played at the start of our career, smaller club venues. It’s always nice to play the smaller places. The only thing we’re not too keen on is the vans we use for touring; they always seem to break down.”

Enter Shikari have not consigned themselves to just Europe and America, explains Rory. “It’s a whole different ball game over there. We went to see this one gig, which was like our friends’ band, who are pure Japanese. They don’t even speak any English, we brought them over here once to tour with us in the UK. We went to one of their gigs in Japan and it was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Everyone would go crazy on the bits they were supposed to go crazy, but then as soon as the band would do something like a weird Mexican wave the crowd would all do it at exactly the same time, they all chant at exactly the same time, they all clap at exactly the same time. It seemed so militant, so precise, it felt like they had rehearsed it a hundred times. The crowd’s reaction reflects in the music, the bands over there are so precise, never missing a beat or a single note in their live performances, they’re just flawless.”

Enter Shikari’s latest release Common Dreads shows a more polished finish, which could be accredited to the experiences they have gained from touring the world and playing with artists from differing genres. The album delivers what we have come to expect from the St Alban’s quartet. The combination of post hardcore and trance goes together so well, it’s hard to think of a time when these were not combined. Great moments include the well delivered first single Juggernauts and teenage anthem Hectic with its computer game style melodies. Every now and then you get a hint of Pendulum or The Prodigy but you’d be hard pressed convincing someone that this isn’t Enter Shikari’s own sound.

So what’s next?

Roughton: “After this UK tour we’re doing a European tour with The Prodigy which kind of came out of nowhere.”

Rory: “They just asked us to play I think, apparently they’re fans, I feel like an arrogant bastard saying that but they got in contact with our agent that sorted it out. When we found out about it we got an e-mail and I was really excited but was also told not to tell anyone about it as its not been confirmed. I did kind of go and instantly tell like five people, I just couldn’t help it, I was just really excited. We did some arena tours in the past with Billy Talent and Linkin Park which were amazing, The Prodigy tour is definitely going to be a highlight of our career.”

Roughton: “We’ve got December off, well half of December and then we’re off to Europe in January for our own tour, will probably tour until the summer and then begin the whole recording process again.”

This album is going to confirm and further enhance Enter Shikari’s reputation as a bold, political, nettle-grasping act with an ability to delight, entertain and inform.

What’s even better is the positive, inspiring message the group seem to promote. Some songs incite political action (’‘you can destroy imbalance and change your values’‘) others are just ridiculously cheerful, with lyrics like, ‘‘it’s glorious outside’‘. It’s a refreshing change from the all-too-dirgy ditch that rock songs can often sit in.

It is rare on your first listen to an album to be able to start thinking and salivating over what the next album will be like. However, if they keep expanding and experimenting then there are no boundaries for them.

If you get the chance, Enter Shikari are a must see live act. With a great stage presence, backed up by a great catalogue of music, seemingly tailored for great live vibes there is something for everyone. If you haven’t checked these guys out then grab a copy of Common Dreads, but be aware you’re left desperate for more.

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