Mitsubishi-Electric Halle, Düsseldorf, Germany6th November 2026
Enter Shikari & Supports: The Callous Daoboys, Holding Absence
Three bands, three musical worlds: ENTER SHIKARI brought an elaborate audiovisual production to Düsseldorf. Yet it was HOLDING ABSENCE who made the strongest personal impression. A look back at a varied evening that had plenty to offer despite the modest turnout.
On entering the Mitsubishi Electric Halle, the audience area was still remarkably empty. The upper tiers along both sides had been completely curtained off; an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people attended that evening. For a venue of this size, the sight was initially a little disappointing. That attendance figure is a personal estimate, not an official count. But empty seats rarely tell the whole story of a concert. What mattered was what happened in front of the stage. And over the course of the three performances, the atmosphere there would become considerably livelier.
The Callous Daoboys
THE CALLOUS DAOBOYS opened with a musical approach deliberately built around abrupt shifts, complex rhythms and unusual contrasts. The musicians were certainly active, but each seemed largely confined to their own area of the stage. The performance never quite came together as a unified whole. Musically, too, it was difficult to find a way in. At times it felt as though two different bands were playing simultaneously, each doing its own thing without a common thread. Of course, that friction may well be part of the concept. On this particular evening, though, it simply did not work for my taste.
The violin, an intriguing addition on paper, barely emerged as a distinct voice within the overall sound. It felt as though it could have been removed without significantly changing the overall impression. That is not intended as a blanket criticism of the musicians; it mainly reflects how little the music resonated with me personally. The audience response was similarly restrained. Most songs received polite applause, although one crowd-surfer did make an appearance during the roughly 30-minute set. It was hardly a spectacular opening. On the plus side, there was nothing to fault in the technical sound.
Holding Absence
With HOLDING ABSENCE, the dynamic changed noticeably. Suddenly there was far more movement in front of the stage, the crowd enthusiastically joined in, and numerous crowd-surfers made their way above the fans’ heads. Where there had previously been a sense of distance, a direct connection between band and audience now emerged. Vocalist Lucas Woodland was central to the performance. He repeatedly leapt across the stage, actively engaged with the fans and made it clear that nobody was simply going through the motions.
The band worked as a unit and delivered its songs with a presence that needed no oversized production. The eight-song set ran from ‘Whisper of a Dream’ through ‘Reflection’, ‘Like a Shadow’, ‘A Crooked Melody’ and ‘Modern Life Is Lonely’ to ‘Heaven’, ‘Afterlife’ and ‘Kyoto Snow’. ‘Afterlife’ stood out as my personal favourite. Not because it necessarily had to be the objectively best moment for everyone in the room, but because the music connected particularly strongly with my own taste. HOLDING ABSENCE could not compete with the headliner when it came to lighting.
Musically and in terms of onstage action, however, they were my number one band of the night. That distinction matters: the headliner certainly did not disappoint - HOLDING ABSENCE simply struck a more personal chord.
Setlist
01. Whisper of a Dream
02. Reflection
03. Like a Shadow
04. A Crooked Melody
05. Modern Life Is Lonely
06. Heaven
07. Afterlife (personal favourite)
08. Kyoto Snow
Enter Shikari
When ENTER SHIKARI finally took the stage, the difference in production scale was immediately apparent. Above the musicians hung a striking cylindrical LED structure displaying changing imagery, including a stylised tree and a skull graphic. Cool blues and turquoise tones, sharp white beams and thick smoke created a succession of striking scenes. At times, individual musicians appeared as silhouettes cut out of the darkness. The interplay of lighting and visual imagery was far more elaborate than during the support sets and gave the headliner's performance a distinctive aesthetic. The spectacle was impressive without diminishing what Holding Absence had achieved earlier.
Musically, ENTER SHIKARI also covered a wide range. ‘LOSE YOUR SELF’, ‘Labyrinth’ and ‘THE GREAT UNKNOWN’ opened the set, followed by ‘(pls) set me on fire’, ‘Undercover Agents’ and ‘The Void Stares Back’. The band moved repeatedly between heavy guitars, melodic passages and electronic elements without losing its unmistakable identity. The reworked sections added some distinctive touches: ‘The Flick of a Switch I.’ included a brief snippet of Billy Talent's ‘Fallen Leaves’; ‘Bloodshot’ incorporated elements of a Shikari Sound System remix; and ‘Quelle Surprise’ featured a Rout remix.
The set also included ‘Rabble Rouser’ and ‘the pressure's on.’, among others. It was clear that the band were not simply reproducing their songs live but adding fresh ideas to them. ‘The Last Garrison’, ‘Hectic’ and ‘Lightyears’ followed. An additional B-stage was positioned right in the middle of the audience, just in front of the mixing desk - an interesting counterpoint to the large main stage. The setlist then continued, on or after this smaller stage section, with ‘Constellations’, ‘Live Outside’, ‘Shipwrecked!’ and ‘Sorry, You're Not a Winner’.
The elaborate stage production was one of the visual highlights of the evening. ‘it’s OK’, ‘Radiate’, ‘Higher Ground’ and ‘{ The Dreamer’s Hotel }’ were also part of the main set. The audience was fully engaged throughout the performance. The curtained-off tiers could not disguise the fact that a convincing live atmosphere had developed in front of the stage. ENTER SHIKARI opened the encore with ‘The Flick of a Switch II.’, followed by ‘Juggernauts’ and finally ‘Find Out The Hard Way...’, bringing a long and varied set to a close.
The headliners had delivered both musically and visually: a strong band, an enthusiastic audience and a thoughtfully designed production.
Setlist
01. LOSE YOUR SELF
02. Labyrinth
03. THE GREAT UNKNOWN
04. (pls) set me on fire
05. Undercover Agents
06. The Void Stares Back
07. The Flick of a Switch I. (with ‘Fallen Leaves’ snippet)
08. Bloodshot (with Shikari Sound System remix)
09. Rabble Rouser
10. the pressure’s on.
11. Quelle Surprise (with Rout remix)
12. The Last Garrison
13. Hectic
14. Lightyears
---B-STAGE / REMAINDER OF SET---
15. Constellations
16. Live Outside
17. Shipwrecked!
18. Sorry, You’re Not a Winner
19. it’s OK
20. Radiate
21. Higher Ground
22. { The Dreamer’s Hotel }
---
23. The Flick of a Switch II.
24. Juggernauts
25. Find Out The Hard Way...
One aspect that can easily be overlooked deserves particular praise: all three bands sounded good. Given their very different musical demands, that is no small achievement. With THE CALLOUS DAOBOYS, the issue was not the sound engineering but my personal connection to their complex material. HOLDING ABSENCE impressed with a powerful, melodic sound, while ENTER SHIKARI blended their guitars and electronic elements effectively. 6 November 2026 in Düsseldorf was an evening of contrasts: a surprisingly empty venue at first, an experimental opener that did not win me over, a captivating second band and finally a headliner that wrapped its music in an impressive concept of sound and light.
The CALLOUS DAOBOYS stuck firmly to their approach but made only a limited connection with the audience. HOLDING ABSENCE transformed the atmosphere through direct interaction, a tirelessly active frontman and plenty of crowd-surfers. ENTER SHIKARI then demonstrated why their concerts work as productions in their own right, with an extensive setlist, striking visuals and a B-stage surrounded by fans.
None of this is meant to cast ENTER SHIKARI as the losers of the evening. The band played well, the audience was enthusiastic and the show was a sight to behold. HOLDING ABSENCE were simply closer to my own musical taste and therefore left the strongest impression. ENTER SHIKARI delivered the biggest show of the night. Holding Absence delivered my favourite performance. Sometimes the winner of the night isn't the last band on stage.
All Pictures by Marc Junge
