Live Review : Enter Shikari + Higher Power + Tokky Horror @ New Century Hall, Manchester on April 14th 2023

Opening tonight's proceedings were Birkenhead's own Tokky Horror. Tokky Horror combine Punk with dance influences ranging from Hardcore, Techno, Drum and Bass and even what sounded like a little bit of Gabber to boot. Initially I struggled to pick apart the nuances of their sound as a result of the bass really taking over the mix, however this was quickly rectified and when deciphered, I could understand more about what Tokky Horror were about, and that was pure energy and connection with their audience through their music. There was an almost futuristic, cyberpunk like look to Tokky Horror when it comes to their aesthetic, and this really resonated with me as I'm a sucker for things that don’t give a fuck about social conventions and their identity as a result was uniquely their own. I don’t know if Tokky Horror would be something I would listen too outside of their live show however if I'm at a festival they’re playing with a bit of spare time during their set, or they’re supporting a band I'll be seeing then I'll be sure to check them out again.  

Higher Power couldn’t be any further from Tokky Horror in terms of sound. Whereas Tokky Horror bring a ferocious, energetic, dance heavy show, Higher Power rely purely on a tight as fuck, infectious groovy Hardcore Punk. Vocally, I was reminded a lot of Knocked Loose, or to a lesser extent, Kaonashi, with vocalist, Jimmy ‘J-Town’ Wizard operating at the higher end of the vocal register which cut through the deep bass led grooves like a knife. Visually, the band conduct themselves with such a swagger and attitude that just adds to the coolness of the music they're playing. They all look like they know they’re the dogs bollocks and because of this, you couldn’t help but think so too. There’s a difference between confidence and arrogance and it just never gets old when you see a band who are genuinely into the music they’re playing, as opposed to some bands who simply just stand there looking smug as fuck expecting the audience to fall at their feet due to their technical prowess. Give me a band playing bare bones music and loving it over technically impressive yet utterly soulless music any day of the week.  

When it comes to putting on a live performance, no band has managed to captivate me and keep me on side more so than St Albans’ own, Enter Shikari. Tonight, marks the 22nd time I've had the privilege of seeing this band and with a headline set at May’s Slam Dunk festival and an inevitable headline tour in aid of their new album “A Kiss For The Whole World x”, I could easily see me hitting my quarter century of Shikari Shows by the time 2023 is done. The reason I say this is not to flex my credentials as a fan of the band but to instead relay the notion that they are constantly innovating their sound and changing the idea of what a live show is to the point that I simply cannot wait to see what it is they do next.  

With their latest album still 7 days away, this set of monthly residential shows at the New Century Hall gives fans a chance to embrace the Enter Shikari of old before we usher the band into their latest era. Tonight, is a celebration of the previous near 20-year history and all bases were covered as a result. We began in 2023 with their lead single of the latest album, ‘Pls Set Me on Fire’. It took approximately 30 seconds for the crowd to be showered in a cacophony of confetti as the band came to show they weren’t fucking around. After this however, it was pure Enter Shikari throwbacks. We had ‘System...’ ‘…Meltdown’ from 2013’s “A Flash Flood of Colour”, straight into ‘Juggernauts’ from 2009’s “Common Dreads” before ‘Anything Can Happen in The Next Half Hour’ rounded off this journey back in time through the bands back catalogue. For those in attendance, this was sheer euphoria. Every word was sung back passionately to lead vocalist Rou Reynolds who seemed genuinely taken aback at the response from the sold out New Century Hall, and for good reason too. Those who know Enter Shikari, know that these 3 songs are absolute titans in the Shikari Universe and for my money, it was probably the finest opening 4 song stretch I have ever seen from the band.  

Enter Shikari have always been a band that have chosen to destroy Genre constructs. Their sound is undefinable and transcends all genre boundaries to create a noise that is simply not replicated by other bands. ‘Havoc B’ is just pure dubstep, ‘Slipshod’ is an absolute batshit crazy bass led thumper of a song and ‘Live Outside’ is just pure euphoria with its immense singalong potential in the chorus. There really is something for everyone at an Enter Shikari show, and if the music doesn’t do it for you, the pure sense of community spirit and celebration of the power of togetherness will scratch that itch instead.  

If I was to have one gripe regarding these monthly residential shows, it would be the fact that there wasn’t much variation between setlists at each show. I was lucky enough to see them in February as well and the difference in songs performed between the two shows was miniscule. I was hoping when these shows were first announced that we would get an entirely different setlist for each leg of the tour, however this was not the case. But honestly you can’t blame them. So much effort and hard work can be seen in the way Enter Shikari present their shows. From their absolutely impeccable light show to their programming, every last fine detail is refined, and to be able to do this 3 times, for 3 completely different shows would be a massively tall ask, so whilst I am somewhat underwhelmed, I can in no way hold this against them. Besides, it’s always been a running theme with one of my friends that each time we go see Enter Shikari together, we spend the best part of an hour after the show going through every single song they didn’t play that we wish they would’ve - their back catalogue is just that deep and impressive. To cut a long story short, no matter what they played tonight, I would've been longing for more of it regardless.  

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Enter Shikari, Higher Power, Tokki Horror