radiating from the crowd — especially during the iconic chants of “ And still we will be here , standing like statues ” that could definitely be heard from miles away — twice over , in ‘ Enter Shikari ’ and ‘ Solidarity ’ respectively .
My personal favourite of ES ’ discography had only been made better with the help of extravagant production — ‘ Satellites ’ is a song packed full of meaning for many reasons , and is a staple to their live show setlists — so it ’ s no surprise they go all out whilst performing this one . Beautiful space-themed visuals , bright rainbow lasers , and perfectly timed colourful confetti makes this simply a celebration rather than just an acknowledgement .
Helmed by Reynolds ’ incredible performance as a frontman , two of the band ’ s most popular recent hits are turned into an even greater experience live — during ‘ It Hurts ’, the crowd is commanded to jump and bounce as much as they can . Meanwhile , back at the ‘ The Dreamers ’ Hotel ’, Reynolds requests for everyone to get on someone else ’ s shoulders — the crowd is fully encouraged to enjoy themselves in every way they can .
A chiptune melody brought us to the encore — a robo-caller thanked the crowd for their stay at ‘ The Dreamers ’ Hotel ’, and to scream to extend their experience . It responded — ‘ Sorry , I didn ’ t catch that .’ — and the crowd would then scream twice as loud , hyping them up for the final ten-minute push of the show . To hear and see digital fire crackling was a rarity — ‘( pls ) set me on fire ’ is the song that was cut most from the setlist , yet when played picked the room ’ s energy right back up , with the entire crowd screaming along to the chorus .
However , it wouldn ’ t truly be an ES gig without the song that brought the majority of their audience to them . It never gets tiring doing the iconic clap with the whole audience to ‘ Sorry You ’ re Not a Winner ’, and the whole ordeal reminds you just why it is one of the most iconic songs of the UK alternative scene . Yet , just after the first chorus , they ‘ rewinded ’ the performance and launched into the infamous remix by D ’ n ’ B connoisseurs Pendulum . mosh pits were somehow more active than ever , and crowdsurfers emerged like a tidal wave . Once it was all over , the crowd was left both truly satisfied — and absolutely exhausted , usually stumbling out of the arena already planning their next trip to see them .
For a variety of reasons , no two nights were the same , keeping me wondering just what I ’ d be in for that night . Each venue brought changes to the staging , with smaller venues such as Edinburgh not being able to accommodate the full-size production and having no room for a B stage . Even while missing these crucial parts , the show was just as brilliant as ever . This is the most ambitious ES setlist we have seen yet , in full totalling 27 songs — yet only 26 or 25 were played each night , due to either having no B stage or hitting show curfew . Mid-tour Jason Aalon Butler fell sick — and ‘ Losing My Grip ’ was removed for his vocal safety .
While it ’ s incredibly hard to choose a favourite night from the whole tour , nothing comes close to the magical final night in Wembley Arena . Packed full of supportive fans — attending to witness the biggest night of the band ’ s career — the atmosphere was unforgettable .
Reynolds gave several moving speeches throughout the night — each one met with thunderous cheer and applause — speaking passionately about the band ’ s beliefs toward current world issues such as war , politics , and discrimination . He also introduced a special guest to the stage — Sam Ryder ( best known for representing the UK in Eurovision 2022 ) joined the band for ‘ Satellites ’, giving a thoroughly moving rendition of the song that holds so much meaning to so many people .
Overall , this was truly an incredible UK tour , and I ’ m incredibly excited to see just how ES can one-up themselves again and again , as they always seem to do . If you get the chance to see them live — you likely will , as they ’ re incredibly active — it ’ s truly a one-of-a-kind experience .
It all ends with the title track — of the album and the tour . With one last kiss . ‘ A Kiss For The Whole World x ’ is the perfect setlist closer , filling the atmosphere with a message of love . Upon hearing the call “ This is your last chance ”, the crowd sprang into action — everyone screaming along with the last of their voice , wirrallife . com 59