In the heart of St Albans, as you enter the top floor of the city centre’s museum and gallery, there’s a wall of portraits by the central staircase. On that wall, among the images of famous scientists, artists, poets, and politicians with local heritage, is a photograph of Enter Shikari. It’s one of the few not in black and white or illustrated because the subject is from hundreds of years ago. Going out on a limb, they’re probably the only figures on that wall to have screamed “You faaacking spaaannah!” on record too.
St Albans has good reason to be proud of its local boys done good. Coming together as kids to form Hybryd in 1999 and evolving into Enter Shikari a few short years later, the Herts quartet have gone on to become one of Britain’s most beloved bands.
You could try to whack a label on what they do, but nothing really sticks. Their music is fiercely independent in both operation and mentality, released through their own label Ambush Reality. As an unsigned band they headlined London’s famous Astoria in 2006, due to the enterprising buzz created via Myspace and legendary local shows. Their maverick, genre-defying style combines socio-political commentary with personal ruminations, covering issues as diverse as nuclear armaments and mental health. It has resonated with audiences in arenas and on festival stages around the world.
This is music that takes the temperature of its time, takes a stand, and dares to be different. Here to help guide you through it all, are their studio albums ranked from the worst to the best.
