I'm searching far and wide to find a planet to orbit: Enter Shikari, London, 25/11/17

Five albums down, Enter Shikari show no signs of stopping. Since the 2005 release of their post hardcore, punky first album, Take to the Skies, the four piece have constantly evolved.

Their latest album, The Spark, showcases another change for Shikari. While still heavily politically charged, certain singles are much 'poppier' than previous releases. 'Live Outside' has been played regularly on Radio 1, whereas 'Mothership' probably wouldn't have made the cut.

The four piece headed to London's beautiful Alexandra Palace to promote the The Spark, and it was certainly an explosive evening. Support came from Astroid Boys and Lower Than Atlantis.

Proceedings kicked off with 'The Sights' from the new album, followed by 'Solidarity' and 'Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour...' from Common Dreads and Take To The Skies, respectively.

Rou everywhere!

After an intense mix of songs from all albums, lead vocalist Rou Reynolds and bassist Rob Rolfe seemingly disappeared. They were found standing on the lighting rig, however, and a beautiful rendition of 'Adieu' ensued.

Moments of respite are brief at a Shikari gig, however, and soon enough Rou announced a 'power round', where they were going to play four songs in eight minutes. BPM sky-rocketed with an intense mix of 'Sorry, You're Not a Winner', 'Sssnakepit', '...Meltdown' and 'Antwerpen'.

If that wasn't enough moshing for anyone, Shikari then went straight into 'Zzzonked' and the crowd went wild. (My glasses fell off!) True to form, the crowd was energetic but kind, stopping to pick up anyone who fell down or felt uncomfortable.

Just as the gig started with a track from The Spark, the final song was 'Live Outside'. In today's awful political climate, we need lyrics that voice both our disappointment and our desire to change. 'I'm going to live outside of all of this now'.