Enter Shikari seem to be everywhere right now, the list of upcoming gigs keeps growing and currently includes, Leeds/Reading festival, Radio 1's Big Weekend and playing other venues around the UK, not to mention having headlined this years GIAN. Not only do fans have the opportunity to see the St. Albans four piece but a follow up album to 2007‘s ‘Take To The Skies’ is not far away. We talked to drummer Rob Rolfe aka Sgt. Rolfy:Obviously, the big Enter Shikari news is that you’re playing Reading/Leeds this year, are you excited about it?
Of course, it’s going to be the first time we'll have played a main stage in front of our home crowd which is going to be fantastic. Reading was the festival we all went to as punters before we ever got any success with the band and looking back at all the historic names that have graced its main stage, it's such an honour to be up there with them. It will be looking at the whole festival from a very different perspective (also the dressing room will be nicer!).
With all the gigs and festivals your playing how does it feel to be so in demand?
It’s great to be getting such support from everyone, from the fans to the labels, from the press to the promoters, we're so lucky to be in this position and just hope that we can deliver from our side to match the overwhelming boost we've been given by everyone.
What can fans expect from your upcoming shows?
Well obviously we're going to be playing some new material along with the popular older stuff (I can't wait till the day we can stop playing 'sorry you're not' and get away with it). It’s been quite a break from the live scene for us which we've never really had before. It was well needed but I think it's come to the point now where we're all getting a bit restless and itching to get back into the action which I think will definitely come through in our performances.
How have the new songs that you’ve played gone down with the crowd so far?
Really well, we've had great reactions from them. They're great fun to play and are easy to get down and have fun to. We’ve been playing some of them quite a lot in the UK so people are starting to get to know them and know the lyrics, it's always easier to lose yourself in and have a fun with a song that you know so I think the more people hear the new stuff the more intense they'll get live.
Who’s been the best band that you’ve toured with and why?
That's a tough one, I mean, we did the big day out tour in Australia which is a touring festival with rage against the machine headlining which was awesome, one of the best tours we've done. I think they've been the favourite band for each of us at some point in our lives and to be on the same bill as them was just immense. But, then it's great to be able, when headlining, to pick our own support acts and one whose music personally for me I absolutely love was yourcodenameis: milo. But, then again I have to mention the friends that we made touring with bands in our first few years like flood of red, fell silent and so many more. Such great bands, great fun to tour with and now really good mates of ours. Tours are always made more comfortable and enjoyable by the quality of the people, not the quality of the band (although it helps).
You’ve played shows all over the UK now, so… which is you’re least favourite accent?
Geordie easily. We always request the same bus driver because he's such a great guy who's a Geordie. Well technically he's not, and he'd kill me for saying so. He’s actually from Sunderland... but I can't tell the difference. Shouldn’t be saying that either, I think there's a bit more than just a rivalry between then and Newcastle. Oh well, sorry.
What’s your favourite venue in the UK?
Possibly the barrow lands in Glasgow, the crowd there are always nuts and I get to drink buckfast. The Irish are always a great crowd too though, the ambassador in Dublin is a great venue, especially since they got a new sound system put in but the security can sometimes be dicks.
Has the band changed in any way since the release of ‘Take to the Skies’?
That’s really like asking someone on their 18th birthday if they feel any older. I guess we must have matured as people, like a fine cheese or wine and it's come through in our music writing. I feel we're more confident and competent as song writers and I personally think Rou's vocals have come a long way from the first album. if you're thinking that we might have changed from the success that we got with take to the skies I wouldn't say that's the case at all, we all still live at home with our parents (much to their dismay), we're too close to our roots to lets things go to our heads.
What can we expect from the upcoming album?
Well people that have heard it say it's much more diverse than the first album, which is good because a lot of people would expect you to go more commercial middle of the road type stuff. We’ve had a lot more time with this album to experiment with recording techniques as well as instrumentation. There’s a lot of different styles and sounds on here that weren't on the first and I’m pretty sure you won't be expecting. I don't want to give too much away but i think people will be pleasantly surprised.
What was it like staying and recording at Arreton Manor? Did anyone witness any ‘ghostly happenings’?
It was awesome, Andy's got an amazing house set in beautiful scenery. On the very last day we were there he took us on a full tour of the house and showed us every part, some of it dating back to the 500's. He’s a massive collector of antiques and coats of armour which are scattered all around the house. The most famous ghost story of the house is about a little girl who was thrown out of a window by her elder brother and there was a point, late at night after a couple of glasses of wine and slices of cheese when Rou woke up to see a little girl at the end of his bed which quickly disappeared when I turned the light on to go for a piss... pretty spooky.
Can you give us any news about future Enter Shikari plans?
Lots and lots of touring, hopefully we'll be able to travel as much as we did for the first album again, and we've also got a lot more material waiting to be laid down in the studio if we ever get the time, but we're certainly going to be very busy touring this album first.
Hear Enter Shikari on MySpace or visit www.entershikari.com
Damon Fowler
Comfort in Sound
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