Architects rock London Koko, photo by Graham Berry
Tonight sees the mighty Architects hit Cardiff on their sold out UK tour. Their star is rising, and it’s obvious to everyone: whether it’s the hordes of teenagers waiting outside (at a time when most bands are desperately struggling to get people out to shows), or whether it’s the fact that currently they’re heading towards a top ten album in the UK charts. There’s an excited buzz coming from everyone in the room, and it’s clear that tonight is going to be very special.
Tonight’s proceedings start with Australian metalcore band Northlane, who seem to be popular with the crowd. Despite being the first band on, they seem to make a good impression on the people that don’t know them already, and an even better one on the fans that do. They have a good live presence, but they don’t particularly stand out from the crowd. It’s obvious that they’ve got a lot of potential, and they’re already generating some hype in the metal scene, but they need a bit more ‘oomph’ before they can really make a difference.
Next up are New York hardcore band Stray From The Path. Now this is a band with stage presence – admittedly, they’ve had a lot longer to hone their craft – but when you see something special, you just know. They really know how to put on a show, and the crowd respond well. It’s obvious that everyone in the room is here to see Architects, but Stray From The Path are so great that they gain an excellent reaction. Let’s hope they come back over to the UK soon, and this time for their own shows.
But as we all know, tonight’s main event is Architects. They only released their unbelievable new album ‘Lost Forever // Lost Together’ the day before the show, but due to an album stream prior to the week of release, nearly every person in the room knows all the words to the new songs. It’s incredible to watch the band open with ‘Gravedigger’ and see the room explode with excitement. The new album is truly astounding, and it seems almost impossible that it could sound better live than on record, but they’ve done it somehow (not to mention just how satisfying those ‘BLEH’ noises are).
Tonight Architects sound absolutely huge, and it’s the first time they’ve really reached their true potential. With the new album, they’ve stepped up their game and it’s not hard to imagine them absolutely smashing stadiums. There’s a definite difference between the new material and the older albums, because their sound is bigger now, and the new songs sound so brilliant that everything else pales a little in comparison. But nevertheless, the whole show is spectacular and they get a rapturous reaction to everything they do.
Frontman Sam Carter is compelling tonight, and the whole band possess an unreal amount of energy. It’s fantastic to see just how grateful they are for all of this, and you know they mean every single word of thanks they utter. Tonight has been an unbelievably special night for all involved, and you can tell that Architects don’t take any of it for granted. This is exactly why they deserve every bit of success they have coming their way. Utterly brilliant.
LAIS MW