Rou Reynolds interview: Enter Shikari frontman reveals his hopes ahead of War of the Worlds UK tour

• Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds is set to portray the Artilleryman in the 2025 UK tour of Jeff Wayne’s “The War of The Worlds.”
• The singer discusses his hopes regarding Enter Shikari fans coming to see the show, alongside what song might work if Jeff Wayne needed a track from the band.
• But is Reynolds concerned people from his music scene might turn their nose up at musical theatre, and does he believe that aliens exist?

He’s known to millions as the lead singer of British group Enter Shikari, but for Rou Reynolds, his next project is a daunting one even for him - The War of The Worlds. 

Reynolds is set to portray the Artilleryman in Jeff Wayne’s musical version of the classic H.G Wells tale, a role previously played by Jason Donovan, David Essex and Kaiser Chiefs' Ricky Wilson. It’s a role that by his own admission is one that has pushed him farther than he anticipated.

“Well, ever since primary school when I played one of the extra, and largely insignificant, street urchins in Oliver Twist!”, he told us.

“I have always loved theatre though, and suspect I may have ended up within that world if I hadn’t become a songwriter and producer.

“My band Enter Shikari has always taken inspiration from theatre and large musical productions like The War of The Worlds, and our performances have always had a theatrical atmosphere, a sense of plot, and visual effects. So for me, as scary as it is, it doesn’t feel hugely foreign.”

Reynold’s involvement in Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds comes after an interest in the production at an early age, influenced by the enjoyment older family members had in the musical. Reynolds recalls first listening to the album at the age of seven or eight, by his recollection, and how the drama had a resounding effect on him.

“I remember listening to it and feeling like I had been whisked away into another world, and one that was really quite menacing and peculiar,” he recalls.

“I was immediately drawn to the drama and the intensity. I’ve come back to it throughout my life and have come away with something different each time as I’ve understood more about it. 

“The music has always felt immensely powerful, and so wonderfully varied too, that’s always been a draw for me, which you can probably tell from my band’s own music. I love and respect artistic diversity.”

“Overjoyed their favourite band and favourite musical production come together”

Enter Shikari's Rou Reynolds spoke to Benjamin Jackson as he continues rehearsals before Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds begins it's nationwide tour in 2025 (Photo provided by Rou Reynolds) | Provided

It’s that artistic diversity that Enter Shikari became renowned for during their early years, with the release of their debut album ‘Take To The Skies’ in 2007 earning favourable reviews for its amalgamation of post-hardcore and electronic music. 

“Oh it’s definitely clear a lot of our supporters are really excited by the announcement and will definitely be coming to see it,” Reynolds responded when asked if he hoped there would be a crossover between Shikari fans and those unfamiliar with musical theatre.

“I think like me, a lot of people grew up with the album being played in their households so it feels like a colliding of worlds for many. In fact I’ve seen a few people say that they are overjoyed to see their favourite band and their favourite musical production come together.”

We had to ask what Enter Shikari song he’d think Jeff Wayne would include if the opportunity ever arose. When asked if “Mothership” would be the obvious choice, Reynolds responded with a laugh: “I think there would be many options, to be honest.”

Naming his classical piece ‘Elegy for Extinction’, the singer explained: “It’s incredibly dramatic, and is all about the struggle for human survival.

“’Airfield’ and ‘A Kiss for the Whole World’ would also be two contenders, and ‘The Last Garrison’ with its refrain of ‘Thank f**k you’re still alive’ would also seem rather apt.”

When asked point blank if Reynolds believes in aliens, the singer responded “in at the deep end… love it” before pausing for thought.

“I think it makes more sense, given the expanse of the universe, that there are other lifeforms out there, for sure,” he told us.

“And to be honest, there’s simply too much pressure to believe otherwise.”

But would those aliens be benevolent or malevolent like those in The War of the Worlds?

“I would certainly hope there aren’t any Martians as malevolent as those in The War of The Worlds,” Reynolds said. “I do think there’s a lot of logic behind the argument that any aliens that visited us would actually be benevolent.”

“As Carl Sagan and others have pointed out before, any species that achieves intergalactic space travel would be capable of immense feats of technology, and would therefore have had to overcome any self-destructive or tribal character traits. Otherwise, as its power grew, it would have surely destroyed itself.

“So yes, I would hope that any visits we receive here on Earth would be from a peaceful, or even paternal Martian species.”

“I think there should be more links through all art forms”

The announcement that Reynolds would take one of the main roles in the 2025 production may have seemed an odd fit for some musical theatre or The War of The Worlds fans.

But as far as Reynolds is concerned, art is art, regardless if it “goes heavy” or not.

He added: “I think there should be more links through all art forms. From comedy to sculpture, from music to dance, we are all trying to make connections with our fellow humans. It’s about making people feel something, reminding people of their shared vulnerability, of their shared fate, reminding us that we are one family, on one planet.

“The arts not only enrich our lives but they bring us together like nothing else. And that’s really important in an increasingly divided world. So I think strengthening connections within all the arts is paramount, especially as they often come under attack in times of austerity as well.”

Tickets to see Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds featuring Rou Reynolds are currently on sale now. For more information or to book tickets, visit the dedicated Ticketmaster page for the show today.