Enter Shikari is a four-piece experimental post-hardcore/electronicore band… Read Full Bio ↴Enter Shikari is a four-piece experimental post-hardcore/electronicore band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England formed in 2003. The band's music incorporates various rock and metal sub-genres with elements of various electronic genres such as electronica, dubstep, trance, and drum and bass, making the band particularly difficult to assign to one genre. The incorporation of electronic genres has become more prominent in their music throughout the band's history. Lyrically, their music tackles political, social and scientific issues.

The band is named after a boat belonging to Roughton "Rou" Reynolds' uncle, and a character in a play which he wrote before forming the band, both of which are named Shikari. Despite being offered several major label record deals, their debut album Take to the Skies was released on their own label - Ambush Reality - in March 2007, reaching the dizzy heights of #4 in the UK's official Album Charts and going on to sell over 100,000 copies in the UK (the album was released in Europe through PIAS, in North America on Ambush Reality / Tiny Evil, and in Japan on Hostess).

In March 2008, after spending 12 months on the road across the globe, Enter Shikari set up camp in their rehearsal room (a large shed in Chris Batten's back garden which they christened "The 'Low") to begin writing tracks for their second album such as Antwerpen which was released as a free digital-download from the band's website.

In July they played to their largest live audience at the UK date of Linkin Park's 'Project Revolution' travelling festival alongside JayZ, Pendulum and N*E*R*D, as well as playing several shows with Linkin Park in mainland Europe.

Enter Shikari followed a UK / Ireland tour in October 2008 with the release of a one-off single 'We Can Breathe In Space, They Just Don't Want Us To Escape' (a finished version of a track the band demoed in 2005 but never got around to ever finishing properly until the summer 2008).

In mid-November 2008 the band started work recording their second album in Arreton Manor on the Isle of Wight with producer Andy Gray. Here they demoed, produced and mixed new tracks for the band's second album titled Common Dreads which was released June 15th 2009 on CD, Vinyl and digital download. The first track to be heard by the public was Juggernauts aired on 15th April 2009 as Zane Lowe's "Hottest Track in the World" on BBC Radio 1. Juggernauts was released on the 1st June 2009 reaching #26 in the UK Official Single Charts and was aired regularly by Radio 1.

Following the release of Common Dreads via Ambush Reality on the 15th June 2009, the album reached #16 on the UK Top 40 Official Album Chart and was highly-rated by magazines such as Kerrang!, Rocksound and Metal Hammer. No Sleep Tonight was also released as a single on August 17th 2009 with a large number of remixes following it from artists such as ROUT, Mistabishi, The Qemists and LightsGoBlue.

The band recently visited the US, Germany and the Czech Republic on a mini-tour and have another UK tour scheduled for October 2009 supported by The Devil Wears Prada and also a number of dates with The Prodigy in November.

After their late 2009 UK tour, Enter Shikari toured throughout the US on the extensive summer of 2010 Vans Warped Tour. November 2010 saw Enter Shikari touring with 30 Seconds to Mars.

Enter Shikari's third album titled A Flash Flood Of Colour was recorded at Karma Bay Studios in Bangkok, Thailand and was produced by Dan Weller (former-SikTh guitarist). The album was released on the 16th January 2012 in the UK and worldwide. The first single from the LP was "Sssnakepit". It was released on September 20, 2011 as a digital download. According to the Sssnakepit Songfacts, "Quelle Surprise," which was made available in May 2011, was originally intended to be the first official release from the set, but the band ultimately decided to not include it on the album in the end, although did include it on the Deluxe Version. The second single, "Ghandi Mate, Ghandi" was released as a digital download on iTunes in December, followed by a video of single 'Arguing with Thermometers' posted on YouTube a few days before the release of the album.

Enter Shikari is:
Roughton 'Rou' Reynolds - vocals, electronics
Liam 'Rory' Clewlow - guitar, vocals
Chris Batten - bass, vocals
Rob Rolfe - drums

Empty
Enter Shikari Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A blank sheet of paper
just begging to be filled
But tonight I cannot pour my heart out
Because you escaped with it
in your back pocket

Television remote controls
cannot save me

From destroying myself
under these scented quilts

The absence of your lower case screams
Punching out your fragile pleas
And tonight I feel helpless
And tonight I feel scared

Come now and leave with me
This place is almost empty.

Overall Meaning

The first two lines of Enter Shikari's song Empty, "A blank sheet of paper just begging to be filled, But tonight I cannot pour my heart out" set the tone for the rest of the song. The lyrics speak about a feeling of emptiness and being unable to express oneself, possibly due to a lost love. The following line, "Because you escaped with it in your back pocket" confirms this as the cause of the emptiness.

The reference to a television remote control, "Television remote controls cannot save me" may signify an addiction to distractions and a feeling of helplessness without them. The phrase "scented quilts" may indicate a longing for comfort and familiarity. The absence of the other person's lowercase screams and fragile pleas put the singer in a vulnerable and helpless state. However, the line "Come now and leave with me, This place is almost empty" suggests an attempt to flee from the emptiness and find comfort in someone's company.

Line by Line Meaning

A blank sheet of paper
I have nothing left to say or share with you.

just begging to be filled
I wish I had something left to express my emotions.

But tonight I cannot pour my heart out
I feel unable to speak up or express my emotions tonight.

Because you escaped with it
You took all of my emotions with you when you left.

in your back pocket
You have complete control over me and my emotions.

Television remote controls
Distracting myself with pointless media cannot save me.

cannot save me
I cannot escape my internal struggles with any distraction.

From destroying myself
I am my own worst enemy in this situation.

under these scented quilts
I am alone and isolated in my emotional turmoil.

The absence of your lower case screams
Your silence is more deafening than any screaming could be.

Punching out your fragile pleas
I feel like I am harming you by expressing my own needs.