Hot off the back of a UK arena tour, and sell-out date at Wembley this year, Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds* confirms he’ll be putting his vocal weight towards battling the Martian invasion, as he announces he’s joining the cast of Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds** The Spirit of Man Tour 2025.
Rou will be playing the role of The Artilleryman, which has previously been performed by Jason Donovan, Kevin Clifton, Adam Garcia, David Essex, and Kaiser Chief’s, Ricky Wilson to name a few. Rou joins an all-star cast alongside The Wanted’s Max George (Parson Nathaniel) and Maisie Smith (Beth, The Parson’s Wife) – further cast to be announced.
“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,” comments Rou. “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.”
“As exemplified by the path that my band, Enter Shikari, follows, it’s important for me to practice 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.”
Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Based upon the classic science fiction story by HG Wells
Adapted by Doreen Wayne
Composed, arranged, conducted and produced by Jeff Wayne
Lyrics by
Gary Osborne (‘Thunder Child’, ‘The Spirit of Man’, and ‘Brave New World’
Paul Vigrass and Gary Osborne (‘Forever Autumn’)
Jeff Wayne (‘The Eve of The War’ and ‘Life Begins Again’)
*Rou Reynolds is the founding member of Enter Shikari, a UK band who defy all efforts at genre classification; sliding between pop, post-hardcore, drum and bass, epic electronic soundscapes and full-throttle punk rock (often within the space of one song), while the lyrics of Rou Reynolds veer from scathing political commentary one minute to heart-on-sleeve personal confession the next. Seven studio albums have been released in the sixteen years their launch, with each of the albums debuting in the top 10 of the UK Album Charts. Enter Shikari’s most recent album, A Kiss For The Whole World, shot to No1 in the Album Chart, as well as their highest ever German album chart entry thus far. The band’s commitment to extensive world touring has seen them climbing the bills at major festivals worldwide, whilst regularly filling UK arenas.
Along the way, Rou and the band have picked up several ‘Best Album’ and ‘Best Live Band’ awards from the likes of Kerrang Magazine, NME, Rock Sound and the UK’s Association Of Independent Music. 2021 also saw Rou pick up a Best Production’ award at the UK’s Heavy Music Awards for his production of Enter Shikari’s 2020 album Nothing Is True And Everything Is Possible. Parallel to Rou’s career as front man, vocalist, songwriter and producer for Enter Shikari, he has also had four books of writing published by Faber Music.
3ARENA DUBLIN – SUNDAY, 30TH MARCH 2025
Tickets available from https://singularartists.ie/show/the-war-of-the-worlds/