Rou Reynolds Talks Playing The Artillery Man in Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds ’The Spirit of Man Tour’ 2025

Lead vocalist and synthslayer Rou Reynolds of Enter Shikari will be playing the Artillery Man in Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds ’The Spirit of Man Tour’ 2025 across the UK and Ireland. He very kindly took time to talk to JLTT about the role and more: 

Firstly, congratulations on your role as ‘The Artillery Man’ in the 2025 UK and Ireland Tour of Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds. How did the opportunity arise?

Thanks so much. Jeff got in touch earlier this year and asked me to visit his wonderful studio. It wasn’t something I could have ever expected really, but I was super excited to meet him and visit his wonderful home. He said he’d been following my band Enter Shikari for a while, had been really impressed, and wanted to offer me the part. I was overjoyed, not only to have the chance to be part of such an institution, but to be involved in what is clearly a big family, and a immensely welcoming, talented, and professional one too.

When did you first become aware of/hear Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds? What are your memories of that experience?
I was very young when my uncle played me the album. He and my dad both had an immense and varied vinyl collections and it was always a joy to sift through and discover new songs. I remember this album really stood out to me though, it was genuinely frightening on first listen as a kid, but I grew to love it more and more each time I’d come back to it throughout my life. And at every point it was always clear it was a seminal piece of art.

How do you look after your voice?
I’ve found over the years that none of the old tales and elixirs really work! It’s all about staying extremely hydrated, getting good sleep, and avoiding alcohol — the things that I’m sure we all know deep down make sense, however boring!

 Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, microphones etc?

Being a composer and producer, when it comes to instruments I’m more of a jack of all trades, master of none. So I’ll happily tinker away at what instrument I pick up. With my band we get to craft and play all sorts of wonderful instruments, and I think the most striking would certainly be our stage synth and sequencer, ’Sparky’. It’s a 3D printed, retro-futurist synth that almost looks like the control desk to a 1930’s power plant! It’s a joy to play!

I’m really looking forward to all the stage effects that Jeff and the team will be throwing at us all, Pyro and stage effects are something we love to use in Enter Shikari shows, so it’ll be great to now see how Jeff’s team employ these adrenaline-inducing effects!

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
For me, it’s all about human connection, making people feel something, imagine something, consider a new perspective, or confront an emotion. Both live music and theatrical performances are two of the only spaces left in our modern world where we get to come together and experience emotions together. This experience reminds us of our shared vulnerability, our shared fate. It reminds us that we are all essentially the same, with largely the same fears and desires. And in a world that is becoming increasingly divided, I think that’s honestly essential.

 Do you have any specific plans to help you with the preparation for the role?

I think simply practice, practice, practice! I’ve never really had to learn extended speaking parts before. Most of the speeches I’ve done onstage with Enter Shikari are in the spur of the moment or have only a vague outline made beforehand. So this will be a real test of memory and focus.

What makes Rou Reynolds happy and what makes you unhappy?
I achieve happiness, however fleeting, from writing music, eating any form of cake-based good, pottering about in my garden growing vegetables, and playing with my doggo. Woah that came out pretty wholesome didn’t it! I think the thing that slips me into unhappiness the most would be any form of exploitation. Whether it’s the exploitation of humans or animals, rivers or forests. That’s what irks me the most. Well, that and coriander… urgh.