Enter Shikari, Hammersmith Apollo, Friday 12th February 2010.

Here's a little fact for you: We took our name from the songs Havoc A and Havoc B. That was only relevant because I find myself writing yet another Enter Shikari review. It seems like only a few months ago that we went to see them at the Roundhouse... Oh wait. It was.

A new venue for me to review; London's Hammersmith Apollo. Pretty much slap bang in the middle of London (sort of) it's a right bugger to get to even if it is surrounded by numerous Underground stations. There was a little confusion over the timings. The tickets stated that doors opened at 6 but the signs at the venue said 7. Not to worry though, we were unorganised enough not to read our tickets so we got there for 7pm anyway. The venue itself was an all round decent building with the only major fault being that the floor sloped downwards and so constructing a mosh pit occasionally proved difficult. 8/10.

It's amazing how often Eva Spence gets mistaken for a man. It took almost ten minutes before Gemma realised that the wild screaming echoing from the stage was in fact coming from a woman only a few years older than us, and she only found that out because I told her. Personally I never understood Rolo Tomassi's sound but they are rather entertaining to watch and while there were a few fans down the front moshing like they had some kind of painful spasms, the majority of the crowd wore the same expression on their faces which was that of confusion. 28/100. www.myspace.com/rolotomassi

Following them were The King Blues. There's something about the Ukulele that always makes me chuckle. I can't figure out what it is (possibly the minature size) but it does explain the reason of why I find The King Blues so amusing. As usual they spread smiles throughout the crowd and got everyone to shout "F*** the BNP!" (Not difficult considering I can't name one person who actually likes them). They also performed a cover of Bonkers which was slightly strange but good. 45/100. www.myspace.com/thekingblues

As is the routine with an Enter Shikari gig, as soon as Solidarity kicks in, the crowd erupts into a frenzy and 'Havoc' ensues. As is also the routine, I find myself separated from Gemma after approximately 30 seconds. I've come to associate Enter Shikari with loud, energetic gigs and this one was no exception. I found myself on the floor in a matter of minutes and spent most of their set with one shoe barely hanging on. Now that's what I call a proper gig. Mosh pits spread through the entire venue, a somewhat short-lived circle pit took place in the centre of the crowd and apparently there were even a few human pyramids. However, Enter Shikari had something even more special planned... they brought back Jonny Sniper! Oh yes, you heard me right. It was immense. This gig may not have been as good as their 3 Nights at the Astoria 2 but it certainly was a typical Enter Shikari gig; rough, sweaty and incredible. 82/100. www.myspace.com/entershikari


NOTE; Gemma's ratings;
Venue: 8/10
Rolo Tomassi: 35/100
The King Blues: 47/100
Enter Shikari: 85/100