After wiping all their social media content and going dark last week, fans have been anticipating a big announcement from Enter Shikari. They broke their silence this morning with a single post revealing the dates for their biggest UK and Europe arena tour to date, starting this Autumn.
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The St Albans’ alternative rock quartet have been regaled as one of the top live bands in the country, even since their early demos and first LP ‘Take To The Skies’ took off in 2007. Early singles ‘Mothership’ and ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’ tapped into a crossover of distorted guitars and harsh vocals with synthesisers and drum machines. Their live shows became a major international talking point across early social media platforms like MySpace and Facebook in its infancy, due to their angsty energy and the rave-esque light displays engaging the crowd.
With each new release, the band experimented and developed bold new sonic blends, never staying in one sound for too long. Third release ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’ in 2011 doubled down on the electronic elements, fifth album ‘The Spark’ in 2017 moved the needle to more melodic songs, and their most recent collection 2023’s ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ brought all of their previous elements into a joyful rock record full of heart.
All four members of Enter Shikari have a reputation for being outspokenly conscientious, never shying away from conversation about morality and politics. At all of their shows, frontman Rou Reynolds makes impassioned speeches about themes of equality, climate change awareness, and stances against current wars. In an Instagram post, bassist Chris Batten wrote “These shows will be a celebration of human connection. A safe space where we can come together and connect under the power of music, where we can leave the horrors and the struggles of the world outside for at least a few hours.”
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The band have announced that as with their previous tours, all tickets sold for the UK leg will include a donation of £1 to support grassroots venues nationwide, via the Music Venue Trust (MVT). In the MVT’s announcement, Reynolds stated that without independent music institutions, “UK culture would decay dramatically. And we’d all be left drowning in the most mind-numbing corporate pop music and pointless, AI-produced drivel.” Enter Shikari have always made the effort to play a variety of venues on their relentless touring cycles, from sold-out arenas in front of thousands, to local hideaways playing to a few hundred fans.
With the 2026 tour, it is back to the former, beginning with the Australian circuit in May and a European run in early November. Following this, the UK stage of their arena tour begins on the 13th of November in Nottingham, passing through Cardiff, Hull, Glasgow and Manchester, culminating in two nights at London’s Alexandra Palace.
Support is provided by American breakthrough stars The Callous Daoboys, and Cardiff’s emo favourites Holding Absence. Tickets go on sale for mailing list subscribers tomorrow, Wednesday the 28th of January at 10AM GMT, with general sale commencing at 10AM on Friday the 30th.
