ENTER Shikari, a band that personifies the word ‘niche’, returned to Newcastle touring their latest album The Spark.

As a band that is notorious for high-energy shows, my mistake was assuming there would be somewhere to sit.

Luckily for me, however, the Metro Radio Arena is a big venue. There was plenty of space in the sidelines without the fear of being ‘moshed’ to death.

The last time Enter Shikari played in Newcastle was in 2012 at the 02 Academy. I remember the floor was packed with teenagers as they bounced around and wore themselves out.

This time the arena was full of 20-somethings as they sang and chanted and relived their favourite songs.

The band opened with The Sights, a hit single from their new album, and set the pace for the rest of the show.

Half way through the gig the lead singer, Rou Reynolds, told the crowd: “OK, we’re going to need all of your energy for the next 8 minutes. We’ll start off with an easy one.”

He then dove into a mash-up of old crowd favourites, ‘Sorry, You're Not a Winner, Sssnakepit, Meltdown, Antwerpen.

The band then kindly gave everyone a short breather as Reynolds disappeared only to pop up at the back of the arena with a piano to sing Adieu, the only slow song of the set.

They finished with an encore of Live Outside, another from the new album, and Reynolds showed his appreciation for their well-received performance: “Newcastle, thank you so much. You’re always ready for a good time!”

Paige McDermott