Enter Shikari
- May 15
- 3 min read
Enter Shikari, Grandson and Chez live at Metropolis Fremantle | 15 May 2026
It was chilly wait outside of Metropolis Fremantle with punters hoping to beat the cold quickly and be ushered inside by venue staff. But due to technical difficulties with Enter Shikari’s equipment during the set up, eager fans had to wait just that little bit longer to catch their favorite rock band from St Albans.
Downsides to this included the first support act Chez feeling rushed. With punters only given a small amount of time to get acquainted with her music and band. Still, armed with a bright smile and eager optimism. Chez warmed up the now likely hypothermic crowd with catchy punk lyrics, and a high energy drum beat. Executing pitch perfect crowd control, Chez got the crowd jumping up and down like an aquafit class, and goaded punters to say ‘fuck you’ to the negative voices in their heads. Undeniably punk, oddly therapeutic and dysphoric from the endless headbangs. Despite a short performance, Chez and her band certainly left a mark on the punter’s musical memories of the night.
Grandson was up next (first, it had to be acknowledged that the lead singer Jordan Edward Benjamin looked like a cross between Justin Timberlake and Seth Rogan when rocking short hair). Music wise, the band lit up the venue like a wildfire. One punter graciously barged into the crowd and gleefully chucked two full cups of beer across everyone’s heads. This led to a mixed reception, with one punter lamenting at the sad, sad waste of beer expended. Chaotically disappearing as fast as he arrived, the alcoholic Houdini disappeared into the throng of people never to be seen again.
With the band sending the protest vibes pretty hard. Benjamin inviting the crowd to ‘fuck One Nation’, a far-right political party currently gaining traction in Australian politics. Benjamin and his band preached the importance and need of space to allow for the cultivation of live protest music. Thanking the eager Perth crowd for allowing that to happen, and keeping the local punk community alive. The music was wild, there was a lot of jumping up and down, and headbanging. Either way, the punters tenacity was certainly satiated.
Despite starting late, and rushing the first set. Things oddly took a turn in the other direction with a 45-minute wait for Enter Shikari’s set. Many folks from the outer peripheries of the venue were now coalescing around the main stage to get prime viewing real estate. The long wait time also made way for an interesting psychological experiment, and people watching opportunities. With the vast majority of punters conversing with each other. Other punters dancing and bopping to the funky tunes on the PA. True appreciation had to be given to the dudes with beards who just stoically stood arms crossed for 45 minutes, meditating (and perhaps observing each other’s beard growth).
However, the wait was undeniably worth it. With Enter Shikaris set being frenetic chaos from start to finish. With fans being induced into a state of glee by the rock band, it was a humbling experience to throw yourself into the mosh headfirst. It was an unholy baptism of sweat, with punters tossing each other around to Enter Shikari’s tunes. There were several folks wearing the bright pink St Albans FC away kit, who Enter Shikari sponsor. At times it felt like you were on the filmset of a football hooliganism movie, with the crowd chanting ‘I’ll always be with you, standing by your side’, signifying nothing but devotional kind of love from the crowd to the band.
Musically there were tender moments that caused the crowd to suddenly stop, and gently stir and laugh at the back-and-forth banter between the bandmates and punter (such as who was the hot member of the band). Lead singer Rou Reynolds gleefully announced that he was now the cozy bandmember. Following this, the band would then launch into a frenzy of techno instrumental masterpiece, infused with the tenacity of rock n’ roll. Meaning you certainly got a decent workout for the ticket price. The end of the night finished with an encore of ‘Juggernauts’ which the crowd belted out in an eruption of elated fanfare.
With the venue now full of steam caused by the friction of 100 bodies piling on top of each other. Walking out the venue, one punter summed up the end of the night perfectly. With the poise of James Bond, and an Australian frankness. Drenched in sweat, and tapped out from being thrashed around. Likened the post-gig comedown to ‘the part after you had after finished having sex’. To some, truer words were never spoken.
Review by Joe Wilson
Photography by Luke Baker
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