Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds chats with us about taking over the function of The Artilleryman in Jeff Wayne‘s ‘The Warfare Of The Worlds’. Primarily based on the traditional rock idea album, which has offered over 16 million copies worldwide, the tour will hit arenas throughout the UK from March.
RS: How did you first change into concerned with this mission?
ROU: Properly, I used to be simply as shocked to be requested as anybody. I bought requested if I needed to come back all the way down to Jeff Wayne’s studio and I bear in mind being performed the album by my uncle once I was seven years outdated or one thing. At varied factors in my life, I’ve gone again to the report and all the time had an immense response to it. It’s meant various things at totally different factors of my life, and I’ve gained various things from it at totally different factors. So I went all the way down to Jeff’s studio and simply had a protracted outdated chat with him, and was stunned to study that he’d been following Shikari for some time, and mentioned he was actually impressed. That made the journey worthwhile sufficient in itself. Then he simply provided me the half. I didn’t say sure immediately, as a result of I used to be stuffed with imposter syndrome and anxiousness and all the conventional stuff. I’ve by no means executed any actual performing. I’ve acted in our music movies and issues like that. I’ve all the time been an awesome admirer of theatre and of drama. With Shikari reveals, there’s a heavy dose of theatrics in there, and the plot of a set checklist is essential to us. So there’s plenty of ways in which I really feel associated to the theatre world, however I’m actually not a local to it.
RS: It hits a pleasant center floor for you in some methods – a theatrical manufacturing that takes place in arenas that you’re already aware of. It appears like a very good match.
ROU: The extra I considered it, and the extra I spoke to Jeff, that was my considering. As you say, it’s not the West Finish, it feels extra punk, however on the similar time it’s such an enormous manufacturing. The truth that we’ll be doing many venues that I’ve executed earlier than feels okay. This isn’t too overseas for me, actually. Additionally. talking to Jeff, he mentioned that, as an example, Ricky Wilson from the Kaiser Chiefs had precisely the identical response when he did the present. He was terrified, apparently, as a result of he had no footing in performing at that time after which he got here by it and carried out his half fantastically. That gave me a little bit of confidence. I believe Jeff and his entire crew are clearly superb at creating expertise, trying on the monitor report of people who they’ve helped and been concerned with. So after a little bit of considering it was a no brainer.
RS: It have to be thrilling to have one other problem like this. Shikari are all the time pushing themselves into new territory however that is one thing much more sudden. You could relish that chance.
ROU: It’s one thing that I believe a variety of us in our lives take into consideration, ensuring that we’re all the time on the fringe of our consolation zone. We’re instructing ourselves. We’re studying new issues. We’re creating as a human, you understand, and I depend myself immensely fortunate that I’m on this place the place I get to dabble, let’s assume, in all these totally different artwork types. It simply fills me with gratitude and pleasure. There’s a lot that I can convey again to Shikari after being concerned in a manufacturing like this. It’s an establishment, one thing that has such historical past and such grandeur to all of it.
RS: ‘The Warfare Of The Worlds’ appears like one thing of a gateway rock album for many individuals, opening them as much as the style as an entire. Was listening to it as a toddler a formative expertise for you musically?
ROU: I can bear in mind feeling fairly impressed by it. Each time I come again to it, since I’ve delved deeper into H.G. Wells and his different writings, he had such a broad data, and he had a lot to say about so many points of society. Numerous his writing continues to be actually fairly pivotal for us right now. In order that’s been one thing that I’ve taken away as I’ve come again to it now. However yeah, I believe musically it was one thing that instantly grabbed me, as a result of I used to be introduced up on The Beatles, and so lots of the melodies are paying homage to that period. I felt much more nostalgic as a result of it jogs my memory of so lots of the the opposite bands, even like Pink Floyd and Queen, that I grew up round from the affect of my uncle and my dad. It’s a such a broad piece of artwork that I believe has all the time been inspiring in numerous methods.
RS: As you talked about, you will have executed some performing in music movies earlier than, with ‘Arguing With Thermometers’ significantly coming to thoughts. Was an even bigger performing function like this one thing you had beforehand thought-about?
ROU: Yeah, my brother all the time mentioned that he thought I’d be an actor. I really like character comedy and accents and the liberty and creativity inside making characters. It’s one thing that I’ve all the time type of executed. However I suppose I by no means felt like I had explicit expertise inside these worlds. So I by no means targeted on them. However I believe it’s one thing that I’m gonna do as soon as I recover from the anxiousness of the quantity of dialog that I’ve bought to study. I believe it’s one thing that I’m going to actually get pleasure from. One of many issues I’m trying ahead to to most is the costume day, getting fitted, placing on that early 1900s navy outfit. lt’s going to be a lot enjoyable.
RS: Enter Shikari performed dwell at Wembley Enviornment final yr, totally embracing the chance for greater manufacturing components. Attending to be part of one other giant scale manufacturing like this have to be significantly thrilling.
ROU: Oh, completely yeah. I’ll come away studying a lot from their crew. They’ve been doing this present for over 20 years so that you’re studying from the most effective. I’ve by no means truly seen the present so I’m simply excited to have the ability to see it many times. It’s going to be such an impressive, grand factor.
RS: It’s fairly a very good place to be in, coming into the rehearsal course of with out having seen someone else play the half. It is possible for you to to place your individual stamp on it with out the affect of anybody that has come earlier than you.
ROU: Yeah, I’m certain I’ll undergo a minimum of the scenes that that I’m in and see what different individuals dropped at it. Every person who’s executed it has introduced one thing totally different to it. For me, there’s a little bit of apprehension about what I can convey to the character. As a result of on the face of it, he’s only a dreamer, and I believe we are able to all see a little bit of ourselves in him, however then he’s additionally a bit egotistical, he’s additionally a little bit of a coward. He’s all these items that I believe come inside all of us. So it’s going to be nice to replicate on moments once I’ve been all these items and convey that into the character.
Catch Rou in ‘The Warfare Of The Worlds’ on the beneath tour dates. Tickets are on sale now:
MARCH
28 – HULL, Connexin Stay
30 – DUBLIN, IRELAND, 3Arena
APRIL
01 – ABERDEEN, P&J Stay
02 – GLASGOW, OVO Hydro
03 – LEEDS, First Direct Enviornment
05 – NEWCASTLE, Utilita Enviornment
06 – MANCHESTER, Co-Op Stay
08 – SHEFFIELD, Utilita Enviornment
09 – LIVERPOOL, M&S Financial institution Enviornment
10 – NOTTINGHAM, Motorpoint Enviornment
12 – BRIGHTON, Brighton Centre (matinee and night)
13/14 – BOURNEMOUTH, Bournemouth Int Centre
16/17 – CARDIFF, Utilita Enviornment
18 – BIRMINGHAM, Resorts World Enviornment
20 – LONDON, The O2 (matinee and night)
Enter Shikari have been latest winners of our Rock Sound 25 Icon Award. Get your journal and unique merch bundles now at SHOP.ROCKSOUND.TV
