Hertfordshire’s Enter Shikari have recently released their new song ‘The Paddington Frisk’. The song is a mere 1 minute and 23 seconds long and comes with a packed punch.
Frontman Rou Reynolds said that the new single is a part of a trilogy, and that they’re currently unsure on what will happen to the other two songs that the band recently recorded alongside The Paddington Frisk. The track is co-produced by the band and Dan Weller, who also produced A Flash Flood Of Colour.
Enter Shikari are currently on a mammoth tour alongside Hacktivist. Get some.
APRIL
Wed 10th – Weston Supermare – Grand Pier
Fri 12th – Swansea – Brangwyn Hall (Sold Out)
Sat 13th – Ebbw Vale – Leisure Centre
Mon 15th – New Brighton – Floral Pavilion (Sold Out)
Tue 16th – Kilmarnock – Grand Hall
Wed 17th – Inverness – Iron Works
Thur 18th – Aberdeen – Garage (Sold Out)
Sun 21st – Galashiels – Volunteer Hall
Mon 22nd – Lincoln – Engine Shed
Tue 23rd – Scarborough – Spa. Grand Hall (upgraded from Ocean Rooms)
Wed 24th – Scunthorpe – Baths Hall
Fri 26th – Hatfield – Forum (Sold Out)
Sat 27th – Northampton – Roadmender (Sold Out)
Sun 28th – Peterborough – Cresset (Sold Out)
Tue 30th – Belfast – Mandela Hall
MAY
Wed 1st – Derry – Nerve Centre
Thur 2nd – Cork – Pavilion
Fri 3rd – Dublin – Academy
Sat 4th – Liverpool – Academy (Liverpool Sound City)
Sun 5th – Coventry – Kasbah (Sold Out)
Enter Shikari have recently announced a 24-date tour, which will not be visiting your average towns/cities. The tour, which has been named as the “Return To Energiser” tour, are mostly in small capacity venues.
The most expensive show, in Hatfield, is set at a price of £20 – the band say that this is because they are raising money for ActionAid UK and that they have “something special” planned for the show.
The Hertfordshire band said: ““We speak to a lot of people who come to the big shows and we’re very aware that a large number of them travel distances to come and see us. Not everyone lives in a major city, so we figured it was time we went out and tried to visit some people a little closer to home. It’s going to be awesome to be in small rooms and up-close-and-personal with crowds again, plus visiting some new places along the way””
Support for the shows comes from Hacktivist.
The tour dates are below:
APRIL
04 – DORKING Dorking Halls
05 – FROME Cheese & Grain
06 – PLYMOUTH University
08 – FALMOUTH Princess Pavilion
09 – SALISBURY City Hall
10 – WESTON SUPERMARE Grand Pier
12 – SWANSEA Brangwyn Hall
13 – EBBW VALE Leisure Centre
15 – NEW BRIGHTON Floral Pavilion
16 – KILMARNOCK Grand Hall
17 – INVERNESS Iron Works
18 – ABERDEEN Garage
21 – GALASHIELS Volunteer Hall
22 – LINCOLN Engine Shed
23 – SCARBOROUGH Ocean Rooms
24 – SCUNTHORPE Baths Hall
26 – HATFIELD Forum
27 – NORTHAMPTON Roadmender
28 – PETERBOROUGH Cresset
30 – BELFAST Mandela Hall
MAY
01 – DERRY Nerve Centre
02 – CORK Pavilion
03 – DUBLIN Academy
05 – COVENTRY Kasbah
UNDER THE INFLUENCE “Kings & Cretins”
[Self-released]
Think “political”, “anthem” and “underground”, Under The Influence are that with an additional fighting spirit and a sound completely relevant to 2012.
Taking influence from the mighty Enter Shikari and The King Blues with efforts from producer Romesh Dodangoda (Lostprophets, Funeral For A Friend) this seven track mini album is an utter underdog that’s ready to impress.
A raw street-style atmosphere from five fresh faces that are evidently not short of talent, 4th track ‘S.O.P.A’ unleashes a unique blend of a strong rhythm coupled with delicate piano keys for the outro. The recognisable teen-angst and rebellion gives ‘Kings & Cretins’ an edge. Under The Influence’s sound is big and they are fully charged with enough power to make anyone stop and not only hear, but listen and take note of exactly what they’re proposing.
Experimental, metal-meets-rap, gang vocals and electronic samples with synths gives the five piece a confident streak. ‘Vs The World’ is exciting and full of guts. Title track ‘Kings & Cretins’ is stomping and crashes through the underground ready to take over what and who may be above them.
Closing the door with final track ‘Someone For A Day (No One For A Life Time)’ takes elements of Architects and Bring Me The Horizon in the bridge, where melody that screams pain and a feeling of desperate loss through slowed down instrumentation. The end result? A seemingly underrated band with huge amounts of potential.
It’s impressive. An album to be expected from experimental veterans rather than a new bunch who’ve hardly even got a place on the map. If there is any justice they’re going to get a seal of approval sooner rather than later.
A little while back we bought you an introducing interview with a band we find very exciting. That band is Proxies. Their latest release, ‘Lost Tapes, Volume II: Dead-Weight’ explains why we see such potential in this young band.
Opening up with ‘Deadweight, Veritas’ vocals seductively dance around a repetitive, slow-tempo clean guitar riff whilst electronic atmospherics are absorbed into your ears making for a sensual yet eerie start to the EP.
Another clean guitar lick invites the listener into an already established fan favourite ‘Trojan (Inside Your Chest)’. Here Proxies really begin to shine. A pounding kick drums ups the tempo just before a ridiculously catchy bridge and chorus take hold. Again with ‘Masquerade’ the band nail ‘catchy’ with perfect song structure. The track reflects a similar style to early, Panic! At The Disco (think ‘Time To Dance’ taken from ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’). In fact, it could be said Proxies are one of the first bands to display the same amount of ingenious pop/rock and electronica crossover appeal since Panic!.
Proxies have begun to refine a sound that is as accessible as a mainstream version of Enter Shikari, late Pendulum and something undeniably unique. They’ve even managed to capture a bit of radio friendly dub-step in there which is oh so fashionable at the moment. With a bit more beef put into the riffs and production, Proxies will have it spot. This band will take over the hearts of teenagers everywhere.
Arguably 2012 was Reading & Leeds strongest line up of recent years. Not only were did the legendary The Cure take to the main stage, there was a whole variety of acts that put in stellar performances from all sorts of different genres. We’ve picked our top ten from the weekend, some punk bands, some new, some old and one very pop. Check it out below:
ENTER SHIKARI
Enter Shikari and Reading & Leeds go hand in hand. Their performance on the main stage saw punters running over from the dance stage -drawn in by dubstep mix ups- to mosh along with older ‘Take To The Skies’ fans. Tracks from ‘A Flash of Colour’ go down a treat as does ‘Juggernaughts’ which is now somewhat of a Reading classic, again seeing a stupid amounts of crowd surfing. One day soon these humble lads will headline this great stage. Perfection.
RANDOM HAND
Random Hand’s high tempo mix of metal, punk and ska is uplifting. The sheer energy pouring from the band on stage certainly kicked things off in the Lock Up tent after a slow start to the day. Funnily enough, the most impressive part of the whole performance has to be the sheer capacity of Robin Leitch’s lungs! His effortless alternations between trombone, screamed vocals and dancing like a lunatic was a joy to behold.
HAWK EYES
Headlining the BBC Introducing stage was Leeds’ most unassuming rock behemoths Hawk Eyes. Playing a fast and furious set, primarily of tracks from this year’s ‘Ideas’, Hawk Eyes managed to make the outdoor stage feel like a sweaty basement, with the standard troupe of lanky lads starting a (admittedly rather tame) mosh pit. Having previously played the stage under their previous incarnation, let’s pray this signals the last time the boys are on one of the smaller stages at Reading and Leeds.
CEREMONY
When there are an abundance of acts are taking themselves too seriously on stage and swanning around the guest area like they are gods, you need a bit of Ceremony to remind you what punk is all about. Having a fucking good time. And this is exactly what Ceremony do. Vocalist Ross Farrar just goes nuts, spinning around with his t-shirt over his head and microphone dangling around his neck, musically they aren’t that tight, but really no one cares. That’s not what this set is about, it’s just a great laugh.
AT THE DRIVE-IN
Having declared their break-up in 2001 after the release of their seminal album ‘Relationship of Command’, the announcement of reunion dates were a dream come true for many a fan. With mixed reviews emerging from performances at Coachella, it was difficult to know what to expect from their headline set on the BBC Radio 1/NME stage. Opening with the explosive ‘Arcarsenal’, it was hard for a smile not to appear on the face of anyone who holds a special place in their heart for the band.
Given that this was the first time that the majority of the audience got to see the band in the flesh, it was especially pleasing to hear tracks played across their whole back-catalogue of releases, with singer Cedric Bixlar-Zavalar trying his best to recreate those explosive sets from over a decade ago.
The same joy didn’t extend to all members – it was hard not feel disheartened at the sight of Omar motionlessly standing facing his amp for the majority of the set, looking as though he’d rather be elsewhere. This wasn’t the At The Drive-In that left us all those years ago, and perhaps it is too much to expect that.
GALLOWS
The band’s first Reading Festival sans-Frank went off without a hitch in true, unadulterated Gallows fashion. Vivacious circle pits, crowd surfing and an onslaught of punk rock from the stage that never let up, this is a band that is every bit as good, if not better, as version 2.0. The crowd was totally sold by the end of the set. Interestingly it was the band’s new tracks that came across best, leaving everyone wanting more fresh material ASAP.
THE BOUNCING SOULS
Who doesn’t love the Bouncing Souls? Their inspiring punk appeals across the board in the Lock Up tent. Old classics such as ‘Sing Along Forever’ get the dedicated fans jumping whilst newer , softer and more melodic material like ‘Coin Toss Girl’ is a hit with members of the crowd previously unaware of the band. Their set is a resounding success.
ALT-J
The compacted punters inside and swarms of fans outside the Festival Republic Tent show that although fairly new on the radar, Alt-J are already a firm festival favourite. Despite their annoying- hipster-type fan base, Alt-J’s unique and slightly obscure brand of indie is certainly something to take note of with hit single ‘Breezeblocks’ becoming one of the anthems of the weekend.
SANTIGOLD
You may be thinking this is a bit of a bizarre choice if you are familiar with Crossfire’s usual content, but the thing is we can still recognize a good pop artist when we see one! Mixing electronica, hip hop and a healthy dose of mainstream pop, Santigold has a collection of great songs including ‘Lights Out’ and ‘Creator’. Santigold gets the festival party vibe going.
ATTENTION THIEVES
As we caught these local guys in their own territory of Reading, they might have had a slight home advantage. But it appears that it is Attention Thieves’s energy thats key to drawing in a huge crowd around the tiny BBC introducing stage. Attention Thieves have been gaining a lot of attention from the press lately and it seems it’s well deserved as their radio-friendly Rise Against inspired punk rock goes down a treat.
Words: Emma Wallace except Gallows (Sarah Maynard), At The Drive-In, Hawk Eyes (Joe Parry)
Well if you live in Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Birmingham, London or Norwich; Christmas will be coming a few days early this year as legendary live band Enter Shikari have announced a string of dates for this December. There is an added bonus as hardcore geniuses Cancer Bats will play as main support, also on the bill is live dubstep from Engine-Earz Experiment.
This is a live show NOT to miss.
The dates are as follows:
DECEMBER
06 – MANCHESTER Ritz
07 – MANCHESTER Ritz
09 – NEWCASTLE Academy
10 – GLASGOW Barrowlands
11 – GLASGOW Barrowlands
14 – BIRMINGHAM Institute
15 – BIRMINGHAM Institute
16 – LONDON Roundhouse
17 – LONDON Roundhouse
19 – NORWICH UEA
20 – NORWICH UEA
Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds who played the Crossfire Halloween Massacre back in November has made a statement on the band’s website explaining feelings behind the current midweek chart position on new album A Flash Flood Of Colour:
“Two days ago things began as normal.
I pressed snooze a few times, finally woke up, rubbed my eyes, stretched my arms… and checked Facebook/Twitter.
But from then on it got weird. Really weird.
Our bands album ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’ was at number 1 in the official UK charts.
I waddled confused and still half asleep down the stairs and had a crumpet to ‘celebrate’.
I lie, i ended up having 3.
I’m writing this two days after that rivetingly descriptive morning escapade, on Wednesday 18th, and we’re still topping the charts by a few thousand copies. Madness.
Now i’m not gonna sit here and bark on about how this is…
a) a victory for independent music
b) a victory for meaningful and societally conscious music
c) a victory for guitar/alternative music
…of which it is undeniably all three, but it has to be at least mentioned.
It goes without saying, you certainly wouldn’t label the majority of artists normally in the charts any of those descriptions, let alone those that reach number one.
The fact that so many people have bought this record and supported the values behind it is incredible. And we would like to thank every single person that has, from the bottom of our hearts.
I don’t know whether we’ll be holding strong by Sunday when the end of week chart run down happens.
In fact i’m sure Adele or Bruno Mars will have crept back up on us by then and achieve their 50th week at number one or whatever they’re on.
But we’ll have had our nice brisk trot in the limelight, and big up all those that contributed to it.”
The Massacre was heavily missed by many last year so organisation for this one started as far back as the beginning of August to make sure it was going to happen. With no room for a mini ramp at Vauxhall’s Hidden Club, Matthew Bromley’s idea to have a skate sticker exhibition caught on amongst 12 of London’s best skate art illustrators and the Toxic Wasters exhibition took its place. We did miss the ramp though, so next year we will try our hardest to get it back into the mix for you.
Highlights for this explosive night are rife. Cornish 4-piece Crowns made some new drinking buddies by serving up cold pints of Clash inspired, seafaring punk rock. Tomb Crew got stuck into Front Magazine‘s room by dropping the beats on the earlybirds whilst Illaman MC had more words that a dictionary to spill across Rack N Ruin‘s set too. 3 hours of grime, dubstep and bass reigned supreme before Cerebral Ballzy took to the stage in the Vans room. The results were no surprise.
This was the most chaotic show we have ever seen at any Crossfire night. From the off, a sea of bodies collided as the hardcore was sprayed into the crowd. Surgeons, zombies, military officers, pirates, even bananas, were smashing into each other forming one of the biggest bundles ever seen thanks to the dance music podiums that were used as launch pads! This legendary set was ended with a piñata smashing of the highest order and a set of absolute bangers by Stereo:Type who mashed up every classic in the book. The Vans room was covered in beers, stickers and sweets and ended up destroyed.
The Last Resort DJs dropped 90’s rock classics across 2 rooms and had the place rolling alongside a fierce stoner rock set from James Sherry, whilst Talita Two Shoes and Pheobe Winter freaked everyone out with their Child’s Play and dropped a great selection of metal! It’s always fantastic to see the DJs and bands dress up for this occassion. Pheobe’s and Talita won it for the girls and Enter Shikari‘s Rou Reynolds was a serious contender for the boys prize. Shikari have spent the last 2 weeks on tour around the UK but still had the energy to jump on the decks with us for 90 mins. Rout and SGT Rolfy had the place jumping before handing over the decks to High Rankin & Tigerlight who were dressed for Ultraviolence and continued the frenzy with bass driven beats mixed with a ton of wob!
Overall, not many people were ejected on the night. We are listening to all of your feedback on our facebook page and twitter so keep them coming and share your pics on there with us this week.
Thanks so much if you came down to make this night the huge success that this year’s Crossfire Halloween Massacre in association with Vans turned out to be, and also for dressing up in some of the best costumes we have ever seen! Big ups to all at Vans and Front Magazine, all at Hidden Club and Found series, Chloe Leeks, James Sherry, Paul Parker for his incredible artwork and all of the illustrators involved in Toxic Wasters exhibition, all the DJs and bands mentioned above, everyone at Division PR, Sophie Kostrowski, Scott Kell, Tom Halliday, the lovely guys at WE Audio, Kerrang, Rocksound, Clash, Metro, NME, Time Out, The Londonist, TNT, Sidewalk Mag, XFM, Gallows, We Are The Ocean, Hawk Eyes and all of the other bands out there who retweeted our shit and anyone we forgot. See you in 2012!
Enjoy the gallery photos below thanks to the long hours put in by Tom Halliday and Scott Kells. If you use these images, please credit them.
Watch the full video from the night courtesy of Sophie Kostrowski and Matthew Bromley:
Watch a clip of Cerebral Ballzy exploding in the Vans room. Caught on iphone from above.
TOM HALLIDAY’S PHOTOGRAPHY:
Enter Shikari blow up the Front room
Sweet Dreams played party nightmares!
Our photographer Tom Halliday is a Misfit!
High Rankin dropped bombs!Cerebral Ballsout played
SCOTT KELLS PHOTOGRAPHY:
Crowns brought dead sailors up from Cornwall!
Tigerlight in the house!
Next 3 pics shot by James Sherry.
Final photo by Tom Halliday.
“It was a great night had by all with some amazing outfits, a truly hilscarious event!” – Sgt Rolfy (Enter Shikari)
Thanks for making this one of the best night’s out we have ever had the pleasure of creating. Look out for the gallery today on the homepage.
SCHEDULE!
ROOM 1 – AKA THE VANS ROOM
9 – 10.30pm: LAST RESORT
10.30 – 11pm: CROWNS LIVE
11pm – 12pm TALITA TWOSHOES/PHEOBE WINTER
12-12.30am – CEREBRAL BALLZY LIVE
12.30am – 2amSTEREO:TYPE
2am- 4am SWEET DREAMS
4am-5am – CROSSFIRE SOUND SYSTEM
ROOM 2 – CROSSFIRE ROOM
9pm-10.30pm – TALITA TWOSHOES/PHEOBE WINTER
10.30pm-12am – LAST RESORT DJs
12am-5am – CROSSFIRE SOUND SYSTEM
ROOM 3 – AKA FRONT MAGAZINE ROOM
9-10pm CROSSFIRE SOUND SYSTEM – JAMES SHERRY
10pm-11.30pm TOMB CREW with ILLAMAN MC
11.30pm -1am RACK N RUIN
1am- 2.30am ENTER SHIKARI ROB & SGT ROLFY
2.30am-4.00am HIGH RANKIN and TIGERLIGHT
So here, we are. There are literally handfuls of advance tickets left. Snap them up right now and we will have your details on the door for when you arrive, no worries. We have also held back only 100 tickets on the door for those of you who can’t get your shit together! We are almost there though, you’d better be ready!
In order to celebrate 10 YEARS of doing this Crossfire stuff, our filthiest party, THE CROSSFIRE HALLOWEEN MASSACRE in association with Vans returns to the capital this year on Friday October 28th. We are putting everything into this one here so get organised in advance. Press play for Halloween Treats!
ADDRESS:
This party will be held at the same venue that we threw the Flip premiere at HIDDEN CLUB, 100 Tinworth Street, Vauxhall, London, SE11 5EQ from 9pm-5am. Click here for a map. Please note that this night is strictly over 18’s only. You will be asked to show ID at the door and go through a small security check.
TICKET INFO:
Earlybird tickets have now unfortunately sold out. Advance tickets for just £10 (+booking fee) are on sale now from Ticketweb and WeGotTickets for a limited period. You can pick up paper tickets in the shop over the counter and online here at Slam City Skates. Please note that this event always sells out and tickets are currently selling fast, so organise your Halloween night now to avoid disappointment. Invite your friends from the Facebook
event page..
FANCY DRESS
The Massacre is only a week away, so what will you be dressing up as this year? It’s not essential but please note that pretty much everyone makes a big effort for this party. We will give away a huge package from Vans, Front, Crossfire and of course, a ltd edition Toxic Wasters sticker pack for the best dressed on the night. The best dressed male and best dressed female will be picked at midnight, so get yourself organised this weekend!
Nine Inch Nails, mashed up with Skrillex, Guns and Roses, Plan B, Michael Jackson, Slipknot, Chase and Status, Pendulum, Nero, Rage Against the Machine, The Prodigy, Noisia, Daft Punk- it’s all stuffed into here to form a party classic! Just dive into this and download it for free today on us.
If you are loving this, show your appreciation and LIKE the Stereo:Type Facebook page so you can keep in touch with more of this goodness.
Cerebral Ballzy are our special guests this year. Watch their latest video here and look out for an interview with them this month.
We have also added Cornish 4-piece punk band, Crowns to the Vans room line up. Expect pirate style punk rock with a boozy swagger hitting your ears! Get a free download here.
MASSACRE 2011 LINE UP
FRONT MAGAZINE ROOM: LDN BASS SCENE/DUBSTEP/DnB/ELECTRO
HIGH RANKIN & TIGERLIGHT
ROUT & SGT ROLFY (Enter Shikari DJ Set)
RACK N RUIN (Black Butter Records)
TOMBCREW feat ILLAMAN MC (Trouble & Bass)
SWEET DREAMS
VANS ROOM: CLASSIC ROCK/METAL/THRASH/PUNK/MASH UP/HIP HOP
CEREBRAL BALLZY – LIVE!
CROWNS – LIVE!
STEREO:TYPE (XFM’s most requested Mash Up DJ)
TALITA TWO-SHOES (Total Rock)
PHEOBE WINTER (Metal Hammer show onPlanet Rock)
CROSSFIRE SOUND SYSTEM with ZAC SLACK & JAMES SHERRY
LAST RESORT
CROSSFIRE ROOM: TOXIC WASTERS SKATE STICKER ART EXHIBITION!
12 of the most exciting skateboard graphic illustrators will showcase one off sticker designs especially for Halloween. Includes exclusive work from Paul Parker, Mr Gauky, Kyle Platts, Sam Taylor, Matthew Bromley, French, Stu Smith, Fos, Craig Scott, Dan Singer, Paddy Jones and Tom Slater.
Watch Paul Parker’s illustration documentary here to find out more about his art. Mr Gauky’s Day In A Life is also now live. Awesome stuff.
If you have been to the Massacre before then you know you will need 2 days off to recover, so this year we have decided to help you out and throw it on a Friday. Get organised with tickets now to avoid disappointment. Please download the Massacre flyer below and put it on your wall. See you there!
Hertfordshire’s Enter Shikari have recently released their new song ‘The Paddington Frisk’. The song is a mere 1 minute and 23 seconds long and comes with a packed punch.
UNDER THE INFLUENCE
Proxies
Well if you live in Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Birmingham, London or Norwich; Christmas will be coming a few days early this year as legendary live band Enter Shikari have announced a string of dates for this December. There is an added bonus as hardcore geniuses Cancer Bats will play as main support, also on the bill is live dubstep from Engine-Earz Experiment.
