“WE were in the middle of a show in America when the riots started,” explains Enter Shikari bassist Chris Batten, referring to the looting and criminality which struck London over the summer, some 40 miles away from their native St Albans.
“To us it was just completely ridiculous. The PIAS warehouse, which was set on fire, is our distributor and it hit them quite hard.
“It’s frustrating for a lot of indie labels because their main problem is cash flow, and now they’re having to shell out to restock and so on. A lot of them could close down.”
At the time of speaking to the County Times, Enter Shikari were in Malmö in Sweden, following sold-out gigs in Gothemberg and Stockholm.
The band are set to return to British shores in two week’s time, when they will play a slew of tour dates across the country, their biggest undertaking for two years.
“We couldn’t ask for more,” Chris said. “We’re on tour with two great bands and we’ve spent all summer in the States. It feels great to be out there doing longer sets.”
What new influences will fans be able to pick up on in their new material, starting with new single ‘Snakepit’?
“Well, we’ve never been ones to hold back on new influences,” laughed Chris.
“The new album is really diverse in every way - people will be able to hear a lot of dubstep and drum and bass, as well as the usual anthemic choruses.”
This is of course following on from their collaboration with Hospital Records last year.
“The last album featured remixes by Hospital artists, people like High Contrast. We’re big fans of the whole label.”
And which is more exciting to perform - the new material or old favourites?
“Always the new stuff, there’s a real excitement with performing new tracks,” he said.
“For those people coming to see us on tour, they can expect to hear quite a few remixes of older tracks, it’s a good way to keep things fresh, for us and for them.”
You can catch the screaming synth rockers on October 15 at the Academy, Birmingham, or at Cardiff’s Coal Exchange on October 24.
New single ‘Snakepit’ is out now. For tickets and more details, visit www.entershikari.com/shows