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Concert Review: The Mindsweep Tour

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London, Ontario was the first Canadian stop of Enter Shikari’s North American Mindsweep tour. A show filled with energetic and hard-hitting heavy music, the tour proved to be one of the year’s best.

The show began with a set from Toronto’s Sparrows. With a set that was approximately 20-25 minutes in length, the band were able to showcase their talents and capture the audience’s attention, something that sometimes proves a but difficult with local opening acts. The four-piece seamlessly blended breakdowns with melodic intervals, creating a balanced sound that appealed to both metal and post-hardcore fans. The only complaint of the night would be that the musical interludes played during the set tended to be on the long side, resulting in audience attention to wane a bit.

Sparrows were followed by Fearless Records’ The White Noise. Having almost cancelled their set due to unclean vocalist Shawn Walker suffering a leg infection, the ban managed to put on an energetic set. Despite a lack of audience participation, the band were able to catch attention throughout the playing of their debut EP, Aren’t We Glad, with constant stage movement, crowd interactions and instances of Walker jumping into the pit. Overall, The White Noise managed to interest many and it’s without a doubt that they left the stage with a lot of new fans.

Third on the bill was Hands Like Houses. This was the fourth time I had seen the band (twice on Warped and once during their opening stint on Silverstein’s 2015 North American tour), so I went into the expecting strong vocals and a performance that would energize the crowd: and that was exactly what the Aussie quintet delivered. Playing a set primarily filled with tracks off their latest album, Dissonants, Hands Like Houses put on a set that saw crowd involvement grow tenfold and got everyone hyped for Enter Shikari. The only complain would be that, as the set was mainly new tracks, the band might have potentially isolated fans who had yet to listen to the album.

Lastly, Enter Shikari hit the stage for what was without a doubt the best set of the night. The band are known for their energetic and wild shows, and they didn’t disappoint in London. Playing a mixture of old and new tracks, the band hyped the crowd for the latest pit seen all night. Vocalist Rou Reynolds constantly interacted with attendees, while basis Chris Batten danced around the stage and entered into the crowd itself. Recent hits like “Slipshod” and “The Last Garrison” were met with excitement, whilst older favourites like “Constellations” and “Mothership” saw everyone singing along. Honestly, there aren’t words on how to describe an Enter Shikari set. You have to be there.

Overall, The Mindsweep tour is the best tour I’ve attended in awhile. The line-up featured bands that worked in sync with each other and the result was a show that definitely had an impact on all those who attended. Enter Shikari are definitely the best live band I’ve seen and I encourage everyone to see them live at least once. You won’t be disappointed.

By Clare Fitzgerald

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