Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds has confirmed that he’ll be joining the live stage version of The War Of The Worlds alongside The Wanted‘s Max George.
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The announcement comes following the huge run of live shows Enter Shikari have embarked on over the past year, and will see the frontman contribute his vocals as he joins the cast of Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of classic sci-fi story.
Taking on the role of The Artilleryman, Reynolds will be the latest to tackle the role, following on from performances from Jason Donovan, Kevin Clifton, Adam Garcia, David Essex, and Kaiser Chiefs’, Ricky Wilson and more. He will play the character for the entirety of ‘The Spirit of Man Tour’ in 2025.
He’ll be joining an all-star cast, which also sees The Wanted’s Max George as Parson Nathaniel, and Maisie Smith as Beth, The Parson’s Wife. More details about the 2025 edition of the show and the cast will be shared at a later date.
“I first discovered Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds through my dad and uncle, who grew up being blown away by the original double album,” Reynolds said. “Their great respect and enthusiasm for Jeff’s work makes it a true honour to be involved. I’m excited to be playing the role of The Artilleryman and stepping into the shoes of luminaries such as David Essex, Ricky Wilson, Adam Garcia and all those who’ve played the role before me.”
And now, for something completely different… pic.twitter.com/P92KkV9Q2Y
— ʀ⎊ᴜ ʀᴇʏɴ⎊ (@RouReynolds) July 22, 2024
“As exemplified by the path that my band, Enter Shikari, follows, it’s important for me to practise breadth in my art, and keep pushing myself. I understand that performing in a musical production isn’t the sort of thing people from our scene normally do, but my band has never paid much attention to what is expected of us. I relish this challenge.”
Taking to X after the announcement, he also added: “I also believe much of H.G. Well’s work to be pivotal & prescient. There are still passages of his prose that illuminate the root causes of our ills better than any. So for me this is just another way of starting the conversation on alternatives & imagining ways to heal our world.”
The new run of dates build on the huge legacy that the musical adaptation of The War Of The Worlds has left, having first hit the stage in 2006. Since the book was shared in 1898, seven films, various radio dramas, comics, video games, television series, and sequels have all been made, inspired by the original plot.
In 1978, Wayne first produced the musical album of the story, and both Richard Burton and David Essex took part. An immersive experience set to Wayne’s score later opened in 2019 in London. The show uses a blend of virtual reality, volumetric holograms and live theatre.
Now, after 19 years of touring, the 2025 dates will see the show become more elaborate than ever, and will come with a host of new ingredients and special effects. Nineteen shows will be held over 17 dates, and it will visit various arenas across the UK and Ireland. It also arrives just in time to celebrate 130 years since the publication of the dark Victorian tale of a Martian invasion.
It’ll kick off with an opening night at Hull’s Connexin Live on March 28, and continue throughout the spring before it concludes with a final stop at London’s O2. Visit here for tickets and find a full list of dates below.
The War of The Worlds ‘The Spirit of Man Tour 2025’ dates are:
MARCH
28 – Hull, Connexin Live
30 – Dublin, 3Arena
APRIL
1 – Aberdeen, P&J Live
2 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
3 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
5 – Newcastle, Utilita Arena
6 – Manchester, Co-Op Live
8 – Sheffield, Utilita Arena
9 – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
10 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
12 – Brighton, Centre (matinee & evening)
13 – Bournemouth, Int Centre
14 – Bournemouth, Int Centre
16 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
17 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
18 – Birmingham, Resorts World Arena
20 – London, The O2 (matinee & evening)
“Since 2006 when we began touring arenas around the world, I’ve always been thrilled to welcome what is now a long list of great artists,” Wayne said in a new statement.
“This coming tour, for the role of The Artilleryman, I reached out to the lead singer of the wonderful Enter Shikari – Rou Reynolds – a massive talent whose voice thrills, and his personality matches. He will create his own interpretation of the enigmatic Artilleryman.”
The announcement that Reynolds will be joining the cast comes just days after Enter Shikari unveiled a new St Albans FC away strip, after renewing their sponsorship deal with the club for the upcoming season.
They first sponsored the St Albans FC home shirt in 2020. They also went on to sponsor the National League South side charity shirt that same season to raise funds for food banks across the UK.
Later this year, Enter Shikari are also due to hit the road for a UK headline tour which kicks off in November. You can find remaining tickets for the dates here.
Speaking about the tour at Download Festival 2024, frontman Rou Reynolds recently told NME: “I’m refraining from calling them intimate shows, but they are more intimate than the arena shows that we just did.
“In terms of what to expect, I don’t know yet. We haven’t even started thinking about it, but it’s on the to-do list while we get through festival season. They’re going to be a bit more straight and narrow this time. Back to these sweatier, vibe-ier venues. We’re really looking forward to it because we’re getting to play some cities that we haven’t been to in ages, and some new ones that we haven’t visited before. I can’t wait.”
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