23 May 2026 – The Tivoli, Brisbane – words by Zachen Wiki – pictures by Clea-marie Thorne
After what felt like an eternity since initially announcing an Australian tour with LA based musician, grandson, Enter Shikari made the penultimate stop celebrating the release of their latest album, Lose Your Self, bringing their iconic style and flavour back to the Tivoli. After spending their last few runs testing other venues, such as the Triffid and Eatons Hill and even the now-closed Solbar in the Sunshine Coast, Shikari felt right at home returning to the Tiv, pushing their PA and lighting system to the absolute limits in another example of why these lads should firmly be in the discussion of being some of the best to EVER do it.
Due to circumstances beyond my control I missed opener Friends of Friends and only caught the tail end of their set. From what I heard they sounded great!
Friends of Friends – Tivoli – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
Along for the ride was the aforementioned grandson, a politically powered ball of energy with a message just as powerful as the music he uses to present it. Prior to the show, a friend of mine commented how there could be a lot of potentially better options to support this tour, but right from the get-go I couldn’t have disagreed more. Starting out with a fun, tongue in cheek war cry against autonomous delivery robots, aptly named ‘AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY ROBOT’, grandson makes his stance against the current direction of society through technological progression and profit through war very clear with both his songs and on stage interactions with the crowd between them. There is something enthralling about hearing a foreigner support First Nations People, trans rights and make a blatantly negative statement regarding a particular Australian political party (shouldn’t be all that hard to guess which ‘one’), before delivering his message through absolute heaters like ‘Blood // Water’, ‘BRAINROT’ and ‘SELF IMMOLATION’. There is such a genuine passion and rawness to the way he performs, I personally couldn’t have conjured up a more suitable group to take up the support slot for this tour, the perfect lead in to warm Brisbane up for another historic Enter Shikari performance.
grandson – Tivoli – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
Despite the release of Lose Your Self just over a month ago being a complete surprise with zero promotion or build up, the crowd came ready to sing along to every word, just as they always do. Shikari have mastered the art of ‘perfect album opener = perfect live show opener’ and ‘Lose Your Self’ is absolutely no slouch in the category, “We’re suspended, in a light beam” echoing through the halls and hearts of everyone barging towards the barricade. Those keen to hear a wide selection of songs from the new album were not disappointed, as the aggressive ‘Flick of a Switch I’ (my personal favourite) was contrasted by the spoken word stylings of ‘it’s OK’, whilst still being able to belt out sing alongs to ‘Find Out the Hard Way’ and ‘Spaceship Earth’. These newer tracks feel like a love letter to longtime fans, melding styles and pieces from every previous album to present what almost feels like a ‘Best Of’ release packed with new songs we’ve never heard before. Shikari’s maturity as musicians really shines without ever losing that charming spark that we’ve all come to know and love In particular, Chris Batten’s signature and remarkable work as a backup vocalist is highlighted throughout all the tracks, both new and old.
Enter Shikari – Tivoli – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
Outside of the obligatory ‘Sorry You’re Not a Winner’ maintaining its place as a staple of their sets, the rest of the set can usually be quite difficult to predict. ‘Undercover Agents’ and ‘The Pressure’s On’ sneaking into the setlist never would have been on my 2026 bingo list, nor a seamless transition from ‘Bloodshot’ into the returning ‘Rabble Rouser’, Rob Rolfe held every beat DOWN behind the kit, acting as an unbreakable foundation to allow the rest of the band to flex their various skills. As always, Rou was able to showcase his ability behind a keyboard and impressive talent playing Shikari riffs and singing simultaneously. One may dispute that Rory Clewlow has a limited involvement compared to his bandmates, but his occasional backup vocal and consistent presence on the guitar is such a vital piece of the entire puzzle, as subtle as his presence may be at times.
Enter Shikari – Tivoli – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
Before wrapping this up, I feel I would be remiss to not mention how impeccable the light show was alongside the sonic assault that we experienced for over an hour. There was very tasteful use of strobes and panning light sources in collaboration with a lot of the impactful electronic and synth sections, colours transitioning between various hues and shades to elevate the entire presentation. Their attention to detail is awfully delightful, and I can’t wait until Enter Shikari graces our shores again.
Consider my emotions manipulated through pitch, rhythm and lights guys, they’ve done it again.
