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
Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here
Enter Shikari Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can trigger any emotion we choose
But we'll just settle to pump out repeated relics diluted with time
You see the airwaves are clogged up
But the fickle they, lap it up
They need to be drowned in condiments
And left to ponder sense
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Snap back to reality
The turbulence is throwing us from side to side
But no matter how hard you try
Surrounded by cannon fodder inundated with stagnant sounds
You see the airwaves are clogged up
But the fickle they, lap it up
They need to be drowned in condiments
And left to ponder sense
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Transformation in progress
Transformation in progress, transformation complete
Lightning strikes, a flash flood of colour
Lightning strikes, I can't stand the heat
Lightning strikes, a flash flood of colour
I... i... i... I can't stand the heat
A flash flood of colour
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
The lyrics of Enter Shikari's "Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here" is a commentary on the culture of manufactured pop music and how it is taking over the airwaves. The first verse suggests that music can sway people's emotions with ease, but instead of creating something unique, musicians are pumping out the same old tunes over and over again, that in time get diluted with lesser and lesser quality.
The second verse reveals that the airwaves are full of such music, but the audience is to be blamed here as well, for lapping it up despite being bored. Shikari even goes as far as saying that they need to be force-fed some "condiments," which is a metaphor for exciting and different music, and that would encourage them to "ponder sense."
The repeated chorus, "Warm smiles, they do not welcome you here," is a challenge to the music industry to stop making the same music over and over again with polite, insincere smiles. Instead, they should come up with something unique that has emotion and a message. The bridge of the song can be interpreted as a transformation of the audiences' taste in music.
Line by Line Meaning
And with these humble tools
We can trigger any emotion we choose
But we'll just settle to pump out repeated relics diluted with time
Despite having the ability to evoke any emotion through music, we choose to produce watered-down, repetitive songs.
You see the airwaves are clogged up
But the fickle they, lap it up
They need to be drowned in condiments
And left to ponder sense
The music industry has become saturated with unoriginal content, but the masses continue to consume it instead of seeking something thought-provoking.
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Faking happiness will not make you accepted in this space.
Snap back to reality
The turbulence is throwing us from side to side
But no matter how hard you try
Surrounded by cannon fodder inundated with stagnant sounds
It's difficult to stay grounded with so much noise and chaos in the industry, especially when it seems like everyone is following the same formula.
Transformation in progress
Transformation in progress, transformation complete
We are constantly improving and evolving our sound.
Lightning strikes, a flash flood of colour
Lightning strikes, I can't stand the heat
Lightning strikes, a flash flood of colour
I... i... i... I can't stand the heat
A flash flood of colour
A sudden burst of creativity and passion can be overwhelming but also exhilarating.
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles, they do not make you welcome here
Again, being fake and overly positive won't help you fit in or be accepted in this environment.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRIS BATTEN, LIAM RORY CLEWLOW, ROBERT ROLFE, ROUGHTON REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jiggins007
And with these humble tools
We can trigger any emotion we choose
But we'll just settle to pump out repeated relics
Diluted with time
Time
You see the airwaves are clogged up
But the fickle they lap it up
Lap it up
They need to be drowned in condiments
And left to ponder sense
Warm smiles
They do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles
They do not make you welcome here
Snap back to reality
The turbulence is blowing us from side to side
Side
But no matter how hard you try
Surrounded by cannon fodder
Inundated with stagnant sounds
Sounds
You see the airwaves are clogged up
But the fickle they lap it up
Lap it up
They need to be drowned in condiments
And left to ponder sense
Warm smiles
They do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles
They do not make you welcome here
Transformation in progress
Transformation in progress
Transformation complete
Lightning strikes
A flash flood of colour
I can't stand the heat
I can't stand the heat
A flash flood of colour
I can't
I can't stand the heat
A flash flood of colour
Warm smiles
They do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles
They do not make you welcome here
Warm smiles
They do not make you welcome here
Alyxm Brown
This song still gives me goosebumps after all these years
Alex
good music never gets old
DropDead
Absolutely
Samuel Lourenço Jacob
This band is a complete breath of fresh air. They are innovative and creative in their music. They are also socially aware. They preach freedom and liberty from the shackles of traditionalism and dogmatism. They admire science and its method. They are extremely human and seem to enjoy exploration and promote curiosity. Thanks Enter Shikari - a truly remarkable band.
Evan Tisby
they always have been.
in my opinion the have never released one song that was below average! I love all their songs and thats saying alot coming from a classic rock/classic metal worshipper lol
Fitzwilliam Oates
Samuel Lourenço Jacob Shitting on traditionalism whilst enjoying the fruits of Western civilisation means reaching levels of cognitive dissonance which shouldn’t even be possible.
PerpetualGrump
Still relevant to this day.
Buttergolem
Samuel Lourenço Jacob i cant stop myself from crying when I listen to this album
Shikari shock
The best description of Enter Shikari I have yet seen. Congratulations Sir!
Callen
timeless band, i’ve come back to their music 8 years later and it feels like just yesterday