Enter Shikari Pack A Massive Show Into Chicago's Metro

England gave us The Beatles. And The Rolling Stones. And James Bond. For these things, we thank our friends from across the pond.

England also gave us James Corden. And Russell Brand. And British cuisine. Hard pass on all of the above please and thank you.

But not everything falls into such easy to love and hate buckets. Personally, I despise tea (iced and hot), but a lot of people seem to enjoy it on both sides of the Atlantic. And soccer...that's another one that runs the entire spectrum of fandom, from unhealthy obsession to burning hatred.

But then you have cases like Enter Shikari, a band that has a much bigger following overseas than they do stateside. Not that they don't have a sizable and rabid fanbase in the US, but it's definitely not the size of the following they have in their native land. And honestly, as a spoiled American, this kind of situation is all to my advantage. Enter Shikari is a band that has played some massive stages, having three arena tours under their belt and headlining Download Festival in 2021. They headlined Wembley Arena earlier this year. Last year's Kiss for the Whole World debuted at #1 on the UK album charts. They are a certified Big Deal.

And yet, when they come to America to tour, it gives us Yankees the opportunity and privilege to see an arena-sized band in club-sized settings. Last year they came through the Windy City, they sold out the 700 capacity Bottom Lounge. This time through, they were bringing the Dancing On The Frontline MMXXIV Tour to Chicago's historic Metro with fellow British rock legends You Me At Six and Australian pop-punk breakouts Yours Truly in support.

The last time Yours Truly stopped in Chicago, they were in what could be conservatively described as a 'transitional phase'. Just weeks after two of the original band members abruptly left the group, the band was on the road in support of Against the Current and learning the ins and outs of their new lineup in real time in front of live audiences. Now with over a year and a half of their current lineup performing together, they've had not only enough time to really gel as a live band, but have also had enough time to record and release a new album, August's Toxic.

The band leaned heavily into their new material, with just over half of their nine song set pulling from their newest release. And while the trio shined just as much as they always have on live staples like 'Funeral Home' and 'High Hopes', tracks off Toxic had a bit more fire behind them, highlighted by both 'Sour' and new set closer 'Call My Name'.

You Me At Six is another band that has had a sizable and passionate following in the States and an absolutely massive European resume. Their fourth album hit #1 on the UK charts. They won Kerrang!'s 'Best British Band' in 2011. They co-headlined the massive O2 Arena with All Time Low and headlined Wembley Arena all on their own. Seeing them bring their massive sound and performance to a club with barely more than a thousand people promised quite the evening. Add to that the fact that this would be the final Chicago performance from the band (they're hanging it up when the current tour wraps), and expectations could not be higher when the quintet hit the stage.

Every one of those expectations was not only fulfilled, but surpassed by their performance. And while they pulled from their entire discography putting together their setlist for the night, they played the most songs from fan favorite album Sinners Never Sleep and breakout release Cavalier Youth. Knowing this was the final time they would be gracing the stages of the Second City, they really pushed themselves to the limit with their performance and left hardcore fans with the perfect live memory to hold alongside all of their studio releases. Singer Josh Franceschi pointed out how many ties the band had to other Chicago acts, including being taken out on their first arena tour by local legends Fall Out Boy.

"There was a house in a field on the side of a cliff," Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds spoke into his microphone, alone onstage save for a single spotlight illuminating the parts of him that weren't obscured by fog as he kicked off the band's 1/2 punch of 'System...' and '...Overload' off their 2012 release A Flash Flood of Colour. After that, the band barely gave the crowd a chance to catch their breath, moving from one song to the next with the energy and ferocity of a band playing a venue more than ten times the size of the current room.

Singer Rou Reynolds is an absolute conduit of energy onstage. From the very first words out of his mouth and throughout the band's entire set, his energy level didn't drop for a single second. Whether singing or screaming or playing guitar (sometimes all three at once!), he didn't stop moving, almost as if he needed more space than the intimate Metro stage to operate. He paced, he headbanged, and he danced. OH did he dance. Enter Shikari has always been a band that has a heavy electronic influence, so more of their songs are easy to dance to than the average rock band, and Reynolds takes full advantage while performing.

The rest of the band has no choice but to keep up with his seemingly infinite supply of energy and dance breakdowns. And their playing only seems to fuel Reynolds more. All the while the entire audience is being willingly dragged along for the ride. The entire thing results in a massive sea of bodies moving together as one while being blasted by catchy rock music soaked in electronica and more time signature changes than the last Tool album.

This was the third time Enter Shikari has graced Chicago with their presence over the last 18 months, playing both last year's Bottom Lounge show as well as hitting up Riot Fest in 2023 as well. But with as rabid as the crowd was for their set, you would think the band was returning as conquering heroes after being away at war for a decade. Songs like 'Gap in the Fence' chugged along with new momentum that you don't feel when listening to the studio album. The keyboard and power chord crunch of '(pls) set me on fire' was elevated to another level in this live setting, something that was true of all songs, even 'Juggernauts' when stripped down to just a solo Reynolds guiding the sold out crowd singing along to every word.

Was I a little disappointed that the Dancing on the Frontline MMXXIV Tour only included one song off the album of the same name ('Losing My Grip')? Yes. Was I kind of bummed not to hear my favorite song ('The Last Garrison' off 2015's The Mindsweep)? A little. But these are but minor complaints about a set that celebrated Enter Shikari's entire catalogue, with a heavy emphasis on A Kiss for the Whole World and Common Dreads. Getting the same show the band usually reserves for massive arenas in such a small setting is too perfect a musical experience for anyone to pass up. The US leg of the tour continues through 11/9 and dates/ticket info can be found here.

Enter Shikari Setlist - The Metro 10.24.24

System...
...Meltdown
Live Outside
Giant Pacific Octopus (i don't know you anymore)
Anaesthetist
Bloodshot
goldfish
The Jester
Losing My Grip
Juggernauts
Gap in the Fence
Enter Shikari
Mothership
Solidarity
It Hurts
satellites* *
{ The Dreamer's Hotel }
(pls) set me on fire
Sorry, You're Not A Winner
A Kiss for the Whole World x