Enter Shikari Return With Surprise New Single ‘Higher Ground’ Ahead Of Arena Tour

Enter Shikari have returned with a surprise new single, ‘Higher Ground’, released today with no warning. It is the band’s first new music since they surprise-released their album Lose Your Self in April, and you can listen to ‘Higher Ground’ here.

The track is resolute and optimistic in tone, and it arrives just weeks before Enter Shikari head out on their biggest UK and European headline arena tour to date in November.

Frontman Rou Reynolds says the song is about stepping back to see the bigger picture. “Our music has often been about zooming out. Looking at the bigger picture on things gives us perspective, clarity, and often a strange calm in today’s relentless and difficult times,” he explains.

“Higher Ground is about just how pivotal taking the broad perspective is. Whether in our personal lives or when looking at the biggest problems that humanity faces, we often gain clarity and see connections that were previously hidden when we find time to zoom out.”

The song has been in the works for a while. Rou adds that it “was written during the recording sessions for Lose Your Self but felt like its own entity so was parked and finished off slowly over spring and summer this year.”

The release comes at a significant moment for the band. Just last week, the four-piece shared a statement on Instagram about the future of Enter Shikari, announcing an indefinite hiatus. You can read more in our report on the band’s plans to fall dormant at the end of 2027.

Before the arena run, Enter Shikari will play two intimate warm-up shows this month, at Oxford’s O2 Academy on 21 October and Leicester’s O2 Academy on 22 October. Both have now sold out.

They will be the band’s first live shows since they played Tokyo in May, and their first since announcing the hiatus.

The main tour begins on 3 November at the Sporthalle in Hamburg. The European leg includes the band’s biggest ever German headline show, at Düsseldorf’s 7,500-capacity Mitsubishi Electric Halle, along with dates in Munich, Leipzig, Berlin, Brussels, Strasbourg and Tilburg.

The UK leg opens at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena on 13 November, followed by Cardiff, Hull, Glasgow and Manchester. It finishes with two nights at London’s Alexandra Palace on 20 and 21 November, and the second of those is already sold out. Shows in Belfast and Dublin follow in early December.

Holding Absence and The Callous Daoboys will support across both the European and UK legs.

As on their last arena tour, every ticket sold for the UK arena dates includes a £1 donation to the Music Venue Trust, which supports grassroots music venues under threat of closure.

Enter Shikari were the first artist to introduce the scheme, adding the donation to ticket sales for their 2024 arena tour. Sam Fender and Coldplay have since followed with donations of their own.

The new single follows Lose Your Self, which the band released in April through So Recordings without any announcement or teaser. The 12-track album explores desolation, futility and despair at the state of the world, with glimmers of hope and optimism running through it.

Surprise drops have become familiar from pop stars such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. Enter Shikari went a step further by releasing Lose Your Self physically as well as digitally on the day it appeared. You can listen to the album here.

November’s run is the band’s first arena tour since 2024’s A Kiss For The Whole World tour. That tour celebrated the album of the same name, which gave Enter Shikari their first UK No. 1 album on the Official Charts after six previous Top 10 albums.

The 2024 tour also included the band’s debut Wembley Arena show. Last year they released Live At Wembley, the full show, on streaming services and on a limited vinyl run sold at only four record stores worldwide. The concert film also features footage from the first FPV (first-person view) drone to be flown live at Wembley Arena.

Across their career, Enter Shikari have won awards from NME, Kerrang!, Rock Sound and the Heavy Music Awards, among others. They have played more than 3,000 shows around the world, including three UK headline arena tours.

They have also supported The Prodigy and Linkin Park and played festivals including Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds and Download. They headlined Slam Dunk in 2023.

Enter Shikari’s upcoming live dates are:

21st October – Oxford, O2 Academy (sold out)
22nd October – Leicester, O2 Academy (sold out)
3rd November – Hamburg, Sporthalle
4th November – Munich, Zenith
5th November – Leipzig, Haus Auensee
6th November – Düsseldorf, Mitsubishi Electric Halle
7th November – Berlin, Columbiahalle
9th November – Brussels, Ancienne Belgique
10th November – Strasbourg, La Laiterie
11th November – Tilburg, 013 Poppodium
13th November – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
14th November – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
15th November – Hull, Connexin Live
18th November – Glasgow, Hydro
19th November – Manchester, Co-op Live
20th November – London, Alexandra Palace
21st November – London, Alexandra Palace (sold out)
2nd December – Belfast, The Telegraph Building
3rd December – Dublin, The Academy
4th December – Dublin, The Academy

Remaining tickets and full details for all dates are available from entershikari.com/shows.