Enter Shikari + Yourcodenameis:Milo
Hammersmith Palais
Sunday 11 March 2007
Ever since they first hit the live circuit a few years ago, Yourcodenameis:Milo have been known to many as ‘That band who have a song that slows down in the middle’. Despite a hostile reception from tonight’s pre-teen audience, these six lads from ‘Oop Norff’ manage to prove they are more than just a one trick pony. With a sound more sonically awkward than thisGIRL and Biffy Clyro combined, they treat us to a half hour set of changing time signatures, frantic breakdowns and a vicious display of vocal schizophrenia with standout pieces coming in the form of ‘Muical Ties’ and of course, ‘All roads to fault’. It’s nothing short of frustrating to see these guys hover below financial and commercial success, as they are still without a doubt one of the most original UK bands around at the moment.
Enter Shikari are fresh off a European tour with Canadian heavyweights Billy Talent and Alexisonfire, and their final night at The Hammersmith Palais allows St. Albans’ greatest export to display just how well they’ve fine-tuned their live sets. Plowing through an electric mix of almost all of their currently released material, their synth-infused brand of emocore flourishes amongst numbers such as ‘Return to Energizer’ and ‘The Feast’. Whether you consider ES to be something of a sonic revolution, or nothing more than an average scene band dressed up in gimmicks, there’s no denying that they have the ability to put on one hell of a live performance, and have every single person in a sold-out Hammersmith Palais raving their tits off. Not bad for a band who are yet to release their debut album.
Enter Shikari exploded onto the scene late last year with more hype surrounding them than any other band in recent memory, and in all honesty will probably dissapear just as quickly – it’s hard to see their sound having repetitive staying power. In the meantime, enjoy it while you can because the hype is justified – these lads are very, very good at what they do, and know how to have fun doing it.
Andy