How a Tom Morello attitude and madcap Kemper experimentation shaped Enter Shikari’s genre-smashing tech-forward guitar sound

Rory Clewlow
(Image credit: Provided)

On June 19, 2021, Enter Shikari headlined the Saturday night of Download’s 10,000-capacity Pilot Festival at Donington Park. After an excruciating 20-month battle with writer’s block, it was the catalytic event that reignited frontman and principal songwriter Rou Reynolds’ creative impulses, and which set the electro-rock four-piece barrelling forth on a trajectory towards their ecstatic new album A Kiss For The Whole World.

“The thrill of suddenly being able to write music again, which is something that’s been such a staple for me, made the music come out in quite an excited fashion,” says Rou, who seems perceptibly relieved and reinvigorated by having 12 new tracks to demonstrate his return to form. “It is all quite energised, a lot of it’s up-tempo and there’s a lot of positivity on this record because that’s naturally what I felt.”

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Ellie Rogers

Since graduating university with a degree in English, Ellie has spent the last decade working in a variety of media, marketing and live events roles. As well as being a regular contributor to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and GuitarWorld.com, she currently heads up the marketing team of a mid-scale venue in the south-west of England. She started dabbling with guitars around the age of seven and has been borderline obsessed ever since. She has a particular fascination with alternate tunings, is forever hunting for the perfect slide for the smaller-handed guitarist, and derives a sadistic pleasure from bothering her drummer mates with a preference for “f**king wonky” time signatures.