Formed in the London overspill town of St. Albans, Hertfordshire, Enter Shikari's abrasive post-hardcore sound won the band the coveted "next big thing" status in the UK music press at the start of 2007. Four years previously, the band had coalesced around Roughton "Rou" Reynolds (vocals/electronics), Liam "Rory" Clewlow (guitar), Chris Batten (bass/vocals) and Rob Rolfe (drums), with the line-up featuring former members of Hybrid.
Enter Shikari built up a reputation as one of the UK's leading live acts, with their gigs frequently teetering on the bridge of all-out chaos. Their exhilarating hybrid of punk, heavy rock and trance proved difficult to categorise, leading to the rather inelegant "post-hardcore" tag, and for the first few years of their existence the band's popularity was confined to their devoted live fanbase. Enter Shikari's promotion to the big league was confirmed in November 2006, when they became the second unsigned band to sell out the Astoria in London (after the Darkness). The previous month had seen the release of the double a-side "Sorry You're Not A Winner"/"OK Time For Plan B", on the band's Ambush Reality label. Despite a flurry of offers from major labels, the band opted to stay true to their independent roots and signed a deal with distribution company Vital instead. Their debut, Take To The Skies, was released in March 2007.
