Taking on the role of The Artilleryman, Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds was recently announced as the latest cast member of Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds. Branching out from the world of rock and Heavy Metal, Reynolds talks theatre, trumpets, and the end of the world with MetalTalk’s Gabriella Bosticco.
Anyone surprised by Reynolds’s casting announcement is not alone – even Reynolds himself was not expecting it. “It’s been a complete shock, really, to be asked,” he says. “I’ve always been a lover of theatre and always admired drama and often been inspired by it. My band, Enter Shikari, our shows have always had a theatrical element to them and a sense of plot, and so it’s something that perhaps I didn’t ever see myself doing. But I’m increasingly excited by the prospect of it.”
Artistic fluidity is important to Reynolds, and he talks passionately about having the freedom to take on different mediums. “I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with the idea that as a musician, you just stick in that confined space,” he says. “I like the idea that the arts as a whole – I mean that in the broadest sense, from sculpture to dance, to music, to drama – that they should be more fluid. We should be talking to each other.
“I’m often inspired by some of the tours that used to happen in the late ’80s here in the UK, when there was a real broad progressive alliance, almost. You would have shows where on the bill, there would be comedians, bands, actors – it was this whole thing. I’ve always liked the idea of stretching to fill any opportunity that you are offered. Whether it’s writing books, playing on stage, being a producer, I’m thrilled by variety and diversity. It keeps things interesting. I think we all have that will to want to be on the edge of our comfort zone all the time. We want to be pushing ourselves. We want to see how we can develop as human beings. I feel incredibly grateful for this opportunity.”
Turning to the significance of The War Of The Worlds for a modern audience, Reynolds said, “There are so many parallels and ways that not just The War Of The Worlds, but a lot of HG Wells’s writing is really interesting and can be really helpful for us today.
“With The War Of The Worlds specifically, we only have to scroll for a bit today, and we realize we’re on the edge of so many catastrophes. There’s so many existential problems and so many crises that humanity is having to deal with or going to have to deal with pretty soon.
“Thankfully, a malevolent Martian invasion isn’t one of those, but I think there’s the same shock. There’s the same fear that we’re having to deal with.
“I suppose, where they were dealing with Martians, we’re dealing with human-made problems. Anthropogenic climate change, nuclear war, antibiotic resistance – which is a really interesting one because, of course, it was the microbial world that killed the Martians. And when you look into antibiotic resistance, that’s something that’s an existential threat to the future of humanity. There are all these ways you can pull these parallels.
“Particularly The Artilleryman, the part I’m playing, because his dreamlike vision of us living underground, cowering underground, if you like, to keep away from the threat. We’re seeing billionaires make underground bunkers, building these vast palaces underground, because that’s where they’re going to head when it all kicks off. I think there are these slightly comical but important parallels that we can still see.
“And that’s not even touching HG Wells’s nonfiction. There is a lot of stuff with that that’s really important.”
As well as an appreciation of Wells’s work, Reynolds’s admiration for director Jeff Wayne is clear. Wayne wrote the 1978 musical album based on HG Wells’s book and has toured the live show multiple times since 2006.
“I love how insatiably progressive Jeff appears to be,” Rou says. “He could just tour the original again and again and again and change nothing, and it would still be incredible. But the last few versions of the tour he’s added more music, more little parts to it.
“Jeff’s been trying to persuade me to play the trumpet as well in my part, which is something that I think we’re gonna work on. Hopefully, it’ll work out, but when it comes to instruments, I’m a bit of a Jack of all trades, master of none. I’ll feel a bit anxious about picking up my trumpet in front of the virtuoso musicians he has in his band and orchestra.
“I think it would really suit the character – the early 1900s militaries, they would always have bugles and trumpets and things. It’s a very historic thing. I think it would be good to do. I’m actually just really excited to see what production they have in store, what visual effects and things like that. It’s going to be great.”
It’s not just his trumpet-playing skills that Reynolds is nervous about, but also being on stage without the rest of Enter Shikari. “I’ve done a lot of solo performances (and) acoustic versions of things before, and that always fills me with so much anxiety, not having the guys around me. You feel more of a pack, you feel safer. I think inevitably, it’s going to be something that I feel is quite foreign – not just (not) having my band, but also having to act, having to remember scripted dialogue.
“I’ve often done speeches live on stage, but they’ve been either completely off the cuff or like there’s just been an ‘OK, I’m going to mention this, this, (and) this.’ Actual scripted dialogue is something that I’m very anxious about. I’m hoping that just being disciplined about it and just practising and giving everything I have will see me through.”
In many ways, Reynolds’ preparation for this role started as a child. “All I’m doing at the moment is re-acquainting myself with it all. I was introduced to Jeff Wayne’s album when I was very young, like six or seven. I remember it terrifying me, and then each time I’ve come back to it in my life, I’ve got something different from it.
“I remember my dad was a DJ who had a massive vinyl collection. I remember coming back to it when I was about 12, and then I was really thrilled by it instead of just being fearful of it. Each time I’ve come back to it, I’ve taken something deeper from it. Now I’m just listening to it all the time and starting to read through my lines and just getting a vibe for it all.
“It’s still so early on in the process – rehearsals don’t start till the beginning of next year – so at the moment, for me, it’s just been grasping what I’ve said yes to, just delving into the institution that is Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds. Just learning about the history of it, spending time with Jeff and his wonderful team and just trying to feel like I’m at home in this, rather than just being like, ‘Oh God, this is all very foreign to me.’ That’s what I’m concentrating on at the moment and it’s been great.
“I think it won’t be until perhaps I go to the fitting and don that uniform that I’m going to be like, ‘right, OK what am I going to bring to the character? How does this make me feel?’ That’s going to be really exciting, something I’m looking forward to.”
While audiences will watch him carry out The Artilleryman’s plan to save humanity, we cannot resist asking Reynolds what he would do himself if Martians ever invaded. “After the initial shitting of oneself,” he smiles, “I sit along the train of thought that says that if there’s an intergalactic species, they would have probably overcome the difficulties of warfare and tribalism and the things that humanity currently suffers from. I think if you have the might of technology to travel across galaxies and time and space, that means you have immense power, and that can always be used for negative aspects, as we fully know as human beings.
“But I think in order to make it to Earth, they would have had to overcome those aspects. Otherwise, they would have destroyed themselves first before they attempted to destroy others. So I think if Martians ever did invade, they would probably be much more peaceful and possibly even paternal. They would come to warn us about something – the errors of our ways, perhaps. That would be my rather hopeful guess.
“It’s always something to think about, isn’t it? At the moment, I think any discovery of any sort of Martian, even with the recent progress in finding water on Mars and things, even if we just found little microscopic things, would be utterly fascinating. It would remind us that at the moment, we are alone in the universe as conscious creatures that can understand ourselves, that can understand consciousness, that can understand other species, can understand long history and the universe.
“We are the only life form that can understand all at the moment. There is an immense pressure and responsibility on us to be guardians of life, to be guardians of our planet. And I think often when we get bogged down in the politics of of our day, we sort of forget that bigger picture and that bigger responsibility. So I would welcome any Martian life that would hopefully remind us of that.”
Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds will return to stages across the UK for The Spirit of Man Tour in early 2025. Tickets are on sale now from here.
The Spirit Of Man Tour 2025
Fri 28 March – Hull Connexin Live
Sun 30March – 3Arena Dublin, Ireland
Tue 1 April – Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 02 April – Glasgow OVO Hydro
Thu 03 April – Leeds First Direct Arena
Sat 05 April – Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sun 06 April – Manchester Co-op Live
Tue 08 April – Sheffield Utilita Arena
Wed 09 April – Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Thu 10 April – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Sat 12 April – Brighton Centre – matinee & evening
Sun 13 April – Bournemouth Int Centre
Mon 14 April – Bournemouth Int Centre
Wed 16 April – Cardiff Utilitia Arena
Thu 17 April – Cardiff Utilita Arena
Fri 18 April – Birmingham Resorts World Arena
Sun 20 April – London The O2 – matinee & evening
