Enter Shikari Lights Up the Empire Control Room in Austin

Despite the craziness and congestion that is always caused by ACL weekend in downtown Austin, many emo fans braved the chaos to come see their favorite veteran emo bands play Thursday night at the Empire Control Room. Headlining the night of music was Enter Shikari, following opening performances by You Me At Six and Yours Truly.

Kicking off the night was Yours Truly, a pop-punk band from Sydney, Australia. I had never heard of the band before the night of the concert, but I was very impressed with their performance and track list. With the energy they brought to the stage, along with their catchy choruses, they kind of reminded me a little bit of fellow Australian pop-punk band Stand Atlantic, who I am a big fan of. The three-piece put on a fantastic performance that had new fans moving along with the music. The crowd was also very excited about the band because they performed the entire set decked out in Buc-ee’s gas station merch (it’s a very big and iconic pitstop here in Texas). The bassist specifically went all out and jumped around stage in a full Buc-ee beaver onesie. Overall, I was very entertained with them and would definitely love to catch another one of their sets in the future.

Next up was British rock band You Me At Six. This was a very special night for You Me At Six fans (myself included) because this was the last time that the band would be playing in Austin. After 20 years of making music and touring, the band announced at the beginning of the year that they would be calling it quits after a final tour run of North America and the UK. As someone who grew up listening to their music and has followed them throughout their entire career, this was a very tough pill to swallow. But thankfully, I was able to see my favorite band one last time as they took the stage at Empire Control Room that night.

The band started their set off with a bang by playing the soaring “Room to Breath,” which set fans into a frenzy. The band kept the energy level high as they took the fans down memory lane, playing fan favorites from their earlier albums such as “Loverboy” and the emotional “Stay With Me,” which had fans chanting along to the lyrics. The set then took a heavier, more aggressive route as lead singer Josh Franceschi announced that it was time to open up the circle pits before the iconic intro to “Bite My Tongue” began to flood the venue speakers. The room was absolutely oozing with excitement, so much that I couldn’t resist stashing my cameras away so I could join the other fans for the next couple of songs.

I could honestly go on for hours about how amazing their performance was and how important their music has been to me, but I must keep this concise. Bottom line: This is not a tour you want to miss. Whether you are a new fan or an old one, I would highly recommend experiencing a You Me At Six show while you have the opportunity. You will not forget it!

After the emotional and bittersweet goodbye from You Me At Six, fans waited in anticipation for the night's final band, Enter Shikari. This was another new band for me, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but from what I could gather from the fans at the venue that night, I was in for a wild ride. When lead singer Roughton “Rou” Reynolds stepped out on stage, all stage lights were cut except for one spotlight focused on the singer. He soon began to deliver a spoken word poem as the music behind him started to build. As the rest of the band followed behind him, the music crescendoed into the dub-step heavy song “…Meltdown.” Strobe and laser lights flooded the venue, resembling something more along the lines of a rave than a rock concert, and fans were going absolutely wild for it.

When I say this band knows how to genre bend, I mean it. Just within the first few songs, I heard about 4 different styles of music combined to make the songs on the setlist. I truly have never experienced anything like this, and I’m a huge Sleep Token fan, so trust me, I’m familiar with a good genre-bending band. This was truly something unique, though. The way Enter Shikari combined the onstage visuals with the lighting and their chaotic tracks, it was one of the most high-energy shows I have ever witnessed. On top of all of that, the band members themselves were incredibly captivating to watch. Each one of them busted forth with energizer bunny levels of enthusiasm. They climbed on speakers, jumped off of the speakers, spun around with their instruments on stage, and at one point, Reynolds even turned his mic stand upside down and hung it on one of the venue rafters, singing into the mic the entire time. The whole performance made me feel like I was at an old school punk show with the sheer amount of chaos and vivacity that the band exuded. That kind of performance and feeling is very rare these days, and I was psyched that I got to experience it.

All in all, if you are looking for a high-octane, lively show, I can’t recommend this tour enough. Not only will you get an incredible opening set from Yours Truly, but you will also get to see You Me At Six in all their glory one last time before retiring from their long and influential career. And let’s not forget Enter Shikari, who will definitely blow just about any fan away with their captivating stage presence. If this tour is coming to your city soon, what are you waiting for? Get those tickets and go have the time of your life!