Enter Shikari on Donald Trump, Brexit and using music to fight back

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Enter Shikari‘s Rou Reynolds has spoken out against Donald Trump and the rise of the far right in the wake of his and Brexit’s win – saying that the band’s new album will be using music to fight back.

The heavily political band, who were recently announced to headline Slam Dunk 2017 to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their seminal debut album ‘Take To The Skies’, spoke to NME about the shock outcomes of both the recent US election and the European referendum – and what it says about the mood across the globe in 2016.

“There’s certainly an end of the world outcome with Trump,” frontman Rou Reynolds told NME. “There’s no light at the end of the tunnel with a happy ending, it’s pretty depressing.”

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He continued: “With this and Brexit, I think it’s the domino effect that people are scared of. There’s the National front in France, Golden Dawn in Greece. Austria, Germany and beyond – they all have has their far right movements on the up, nationalism is becoming more than acceptable again, it’s becoming the main thrust of how you build a movement. You have to keep bigging up your nation and anything against immigrants is completely in the mainstream now, it’s a very strange and a very frightening time.”

He also took to Twitter to voice his anger and disgust at Trump’s win – and that he’s going to channel his rage into the lyrics and music of the band’s upcoming album:

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Reynolds also gave NME an update on progress on the new Enter Shikari album – which they plan to start recording in January.

When asked where they’d be likely to take their sound from here, Reynolds said: “The biggest thing that’s inspired us was the arena tour last year. We’ve never been the most ambitious band – success-hungry or however you define success, but I think that because it opened so many doors creatively. You know, with the quadraphonic surround sound and visuals synced up with the music.

“Production-wise there were things that we’d never been able to do before. When you go into a venue that size and it’s a big empty room you can bring in stuff and make the whole space your own, make it an environment, and that’s something we’ve never really shied away from really. We’re edging towards the more sort of, not theatrical but a bigger. Something more grandiose than punk I suppose. So yeah, I think that gave us a taste of what we can sort of be, and grow into hopefully.

Reynolds added: “I think that’s the only thing that we’re thinking of at the moment, just kind of, as we’re writing, trying to figure out not a complete direction change or departure but just trying to make things sound bigger.

“It’s always the classic cliché of, the heavier bits are going to be heavier, the melodies are going to be more melodious.”

Enter Shikari
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Enter Shikari will be headlining Slam Dunk Festival 2017, which takes place across multiple venues in Birmingham on 27 May, Leeds on 28 May and Hatfield on 29 May.

Their new album ‘Live At Alexandra Palace’ is out now.

 

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