English rock band Enter Shikari have released a statement declaring that they will be taking a lengthy break from the music scene. With no end date in sight, they will “fall dormant as a recording and performing entity” as of December 31st, 2027. This will mark 20 years since the drop of their first album, ‘Take to the Skies’.
Just last month Rou Reynolds uploaded a video on Instagram discussing his mental health: “I was suffering burnout, which developed into an episode of OCD, which developed into nervous system sensitisation.” Although this is not the main reason for the hiatus, the group explained its impact:
“Even before Rou’s illness, we’d had difficult conversations about what the next few years should hold. The pressures of the modern music industry, as well as our outside responsibilities and ambitions, had begun to urge change. To then see a friend in trouble made those conversations more pertinent.”
In their letter, as seen above, they explain their growth into adulthood and finding their individuality and priorities. “We are far from being the same kids who recorded that debut album, and as much as we love what we do, and still love being in each other’s company, as humans our priorities and capacities have changed.”
“We’re genuinely excited to make next year a celebration of what this band means to us. But after that it’ll be time to go away for a good while and see what being Rou, Rob, Rory and Chris, and not ‘Enter Shikari’, feels like.”
This announcement comes just weeks before their ‘Lose Your Self’ tour, celebrating their 8th studio album released back in April. They are set to kick off with a warm-up in Oxford O2 Academy on the 21st of October before visiting Europe. With this in mind, they state: “Our heads are currently fully into the November tour and making that the absolute best it can be. If that ends up being the last time some people see us, we want to make it special.”
Tickets can still be bought for the upcoming tour; however, for those who can’t attend, they reassure fans there will be more gigs in their final year as well as new material. “As it currently stands, we’ve got some mainland European and North American festivals in the diary for 2027, and we’ll soon announce a few U.S shows in Florida, Georgia & Tennessee for January.” Additionally, “we’ve also been working on some bits of new music, which you should get to hear sooner rather than later, along with another thing we’ve just finished filming.”
Whether this is a temporary pause or the end of Enter Shikari is unclear for now: “This dormancy may eventually end with an eruption back into activity, or may end with extinction.” While this may be sad news for electronicore fans, you can still stay tuned for upcoming shows in the coming year and look forward to new music by signing up to their mailing list.
