Bands On Bands: Kevin Vidou of A Breakaway on Enter Shikari

Another edition of our “Bands On Bands” exclusive series rolls on with East Haddam, Connecticut’s own A Breakaway. They have a new single, “Goodspeed” (which you can watch right here) and it’s an interesting pop-punk song mixed with a heavier sound that reminds me a little of everyone’s favorite band, Daggermouth. You’ll definitely want to have a listen.

Kevin Vidou of A Breakaway stopped by to tell us a little more about why Enter Shikari are near and dear to his heart. Check out the article after the jump.

Music means the world to me. Since I was a kid listening to my dad’s Rage Against The Machine and Led Zeppelin albums, music has always made me feel untouchable. Nothing can compare to the first time you hear a song that really speaks to you. I believe that chasing this high is what made me become a musician in the first place. That and I hate working real jobs *badum tis*.

The memories I have of sitting with my dad, listening to Jimi Hendrix are some of the happiest I have, but my heart really lies in more alternative styles of music. I’m constantly taken aback by the innovation and imagination these artists include in their music, while at the same time keeping the same passion and love for music flowing through their songs. Among some of my favorites are Underoath, Ice Nine Kills, and Silverstein, who all bring something new and commendable to the alternative music scene, but one name really stands out for me: Enter Shikari. This band’s completely unique blend of hardcore and pop, and original use of electronic influence raise the bar in terms of badass music.
The first time my eyes were opened to Enter Shikari, the guitarist in A Breakaway, Will, had just gotten done watching them perform live at Warped Tour. He had nothing negative to say about them, so when I got home I did the obvious thing and looked them up. After typing the name into YouTube, the first result, also my first impression, was the 2010 single “Destabilise.” As the video started playing, I was very unsure about what I was about to witness. It felt almost as if I took a bunch of mushrooms and got kicked in the balls. In the good way.

It left such a strong impression I not only looked up as much Enter Shikari material as I could, but went out and bought their album “Take To The Skies.” That album was the soundtrack to the remainder of my summer, and much longer after that. Not only does the album have all of the elements in music that I dig, but it is extremely catchy and takes you to another place. Since then, they have released another album “A Flash Flood of Colour” (which also was my go-to album for close to 6 months), and a handful of singles. The latest album is amazing, much better than the first two, in my opinion. It gets very controversial, and the subject matter is about how fucked up the world is today.

After seeing Enter Shikari at Warped Tour ’11 I think, my best friends and I went to see Enter Shikari in Boston in 2012. We drove from our town in CT with the intention of seeing a kickass show, we did, and left with 1 less tooth and a boner for Enter Shikari’s live performance. It was myself, Dan Burke (the drummer), Will Ventres (the guitarist), and Dan the man Manstan (the best guy on earth). Will was the one that lost the tooth, for lack of any suspense. He was kicked by a tubby kid stage diving on the last beat of the last song of the night. Unfortunately for him, we’re shitty friends and went and played in a park and got pizza afterward while he was in a lot of pain.
To sum it all up, Enter Shikari is one of the bands who has made the biggest impression on my life. They’re part of the reason I play music today. Many of their pop/hardcore themes are reflected in our EP “Alone In The Crowd,” and I’d even go as far as to say they made me respect electronic music- just a little bit. My suggestion would be YouTube them and dig into them a little bit. They have a lot of different sounds, and finding them all can be a lot of fun. If you like their style, go buy an album, and you won’t take it off repeat for a long, long time.