ARCHITECTS - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 2nd May @ Max Watts, Brisbane QLD
Architects
Max Watts, Brisbane QLD
May 2nd, 2017Supported by: Ocean Grove and Daybreakers
The last time Architects visited Australia they dominated their support slot alongside Bring Me The Horizon however this time, they were on display in a sheer unstoppable force of heavy riffage, emotional screams and sing-a-longs a plenty from the Sold Out crowd at Brisbane's shoebox Max Watts. Arguably their best performance they've ever had on our shores but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Daybreakers opened the night after scoring the opening slot via Triple J's Unearthed Competition, unfortunately due to the large number of attendees lined up to get in when the venue opened its doors later than expected, that meant a lot of us missed the chance to see these guys in action. But for those who got in early the band ripped through their set with enough passion behind them to fog up the window's of your parents car you borrowed to hook up with your girlfriend in a park somewhere. These guys are one of those acts you should keep an ear on, it won't be long until they're as big as the night's second support act.
Ocean Grove took to the stage just before 8:30 and at first walked around like they owned the joint frontman Luke Holmes sporting an oversized white ski jacket while bassist Dale Tanner came to the party in his best Beatles (Yellow Submarine) attire. My first thought was goddamn these guys are like the new age Australian version of Limp Bizkit but could they leave us with a memorable first set for those who haven't seen them before? The answer was yes! Their combination of rap/rock got everyone in party mode as they churned through fan favourites from their newest release The Rhapsody Tapes [Our Album Review Here] such as 'Thunderdome', 'Mr Centipede' and 'Stratosphere Love' which the band revealed will be their next single, after shooting a music video for the song which took 14 hours the day prior.
A big "FUCK YOU" to the bald headed prick who interrupted Luke's first greeting to the fans who got in early to catch them, but Luke's response to "jump on that guy's head during this next song" was welcomed with a large applause from the entire venue. Following on from this, the level the band are playing at goes to show why UNFD added them to their roster so early into their career, their energetic song list sent waves through the mosh pit and by the end of it, everyone was getting into the spirit. During their final song the band called for punters to crowd surf to the awaiting security guards and make them catch you which one eager fan took to heart straight away, climbing over the back of the mosh and launching over the barrier... only to miss being caught. Oops. He walked it off and was back in the pit before you could say "Dude are you alright?" Luke Holmes, eager to try crowd surfing for himself launched into the audience where he was lifted above them all like some sort of Hard Rock Jesus, and kept singing along without missing a beat. It was a great set by the upcomers, my only suggestion (if it matters) is for some of the members to not look so stiff while playing and to have fun. At times it looked like they were performing at a Battle of the Bands competition, but over time with more experience I'm sure that'll change.
The wait before The Ted Mosbys Architects took to the stage seemed like an eternity with more and more fans pushing past to try and get as close to the stage as possible. At one point a group of about 10 guys bombarded past us in a line straight into the already at full capacity mosh. Don't be like those guys, most people don't mind if you ask to get past them early into the night, the last thing you want to see at gigs is someone getting trampled before seeing their favourite band... Ok, now the old man in me has said his piece the house lights dimmed and a glowing spotlight filled the venue at 9:30pm with the Brighton band hitting the stage and straight into 'Nihilist'. You wouldn't have thought it was possibly but a fuckload more people stampeded their way into the venue's front of stage causing a surge of squashed fans to sway back and forth as they sung the lyrics "ALL OUR GODS HAVE ABANDONED US", and by all accounts, they didn't seem to mind the pressure. Without a pause, the guys were straight into 'Deathwish' before you even had a chance to catch your breath, at this point the whole floor was shaking from the sheer amount of people jumping to the beat while frontman Sam Carter sounded absolutely flawless. During 'These Colours Don't Run' we were treated to a blue laser show complete with smoke machine that just complimented the sheer ferocity these guys were producing. The boys were powering through their set list to get as many songs in as they could which was a fuckin' bonus to us who haven't seen them on their own headline show, especially with such a powerhouse album like All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us now behind them.
'Dead Man Talking' rounded out the first batch of songs as Sam finally addressed the crowd who by this point were covered in sweat and cheering louder than they ever have before. He thanked us all for coming along and singing while the rest of the band stood with their backs to the audience before launching into 'C.A.N.C.E.R' which can only be described as a brutally heavy experience for all your senses. There was literal steam coming off the moshpit, like thick steam. Everyone who survived that needs a pat on the back...and a huge cup of water.
"It's at this point I want to point out this show, while epic in experience, has an extremely exhilarating flashing light show and those who suffer from epilepsy should take caution if attending".
'Phantom Fear' once again brought back the crowd singing and swaying from the surge of sweaty bodies still hanging on to each other to stay upright until the band stopped down again with Sam telling the crowd the next song is dedicated to the legends behind Sea Shepard who the band have backed 100% since discovering them whilst on tour here in Australia a while back. They're proud to support them and the audience cheered them on as they launched into 'The Devil is Near'. Drummer Dan Searle gets his own personal shout out here for literally putting in double the effort for this one which went the crowd into a rampaging frenzy. Just past the halfway mark of the night and everyone was still giving their all for 'Broken Cross' which featured one of the best machine-gun breakdowns I've heard in concert since Falling in Reverse's 'Guillotine IV (The Final Chapter)' at Soundwave 2015.
Despite the next song's speed slowing down the night momentarily, it's popularity sent the fans into a harmonious sing-a-long with everyone in attendance belting out the lyrics to 'Downfall'. There wasn't a single person in sight without their eyes locked to the stage watching Architects power through this fan favourite track which was placed at the exact spot it needed to be to keep everyone motivated to give their all. 'Gravedigger' kept the momentum flowing into another stop down where Sam told the crowd no matter what they scream out to him, he wasn't able to understand a word they were saying.. that was until the entire left side of the venue started screaming the Australian National Anthem in unison. Alas, despite this beautiful display of country pride, Sam still wasn't able to understand what was being sung amidst a bellowing cheer and laughs from everyone.
'Colony Collapse' lead straight into the band's latest single 'Gravity' which once again had everyone giving their all for the final stretch of the night, singing at the top of their lungs and forcing them to release one last burst of energy for 'Naysayer' which had one of the most epic starts of the band's entire set list. The boys thanked us all for coming and left the stage, but we knew they weren't done... We wouldn't let them leave without playing the final two songs that hadn't been performed yet.
They reemerged and as expected went into 'A Match Made in Heaven', a song so fuckin' powerful and with so much meaning to those who know the extent of it's origin. After the band finished, Sam walked to the front of the stage and everything went quiet. While the rest of the band stood with their backs to us you could tell they were all still feeling the aftermath following the tragic passing of their former brother, band member, songwriter, fellow legend Tom Searle who lost his life to cancer at age 28. But before he left us, Architects managed to encompass all the emotion, experience and trauma they all went through by putting it into an album pioneered by Tom prior to his passing, the end result is an emotional adventure fans got to go along with in their latest album All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us. Sam Carter, held back the tears as he dedicated the last song of the night to their fallen comrade and the audience sat silent listening to every word he had to say. It was raw, heartbreaking and tear inducing for some of those in the crowd. You can tell they're still not healed (and probably will never be) but the legacy he left behind for the band to continue playing will keep the memories flowing for the band, their families and fans alike. The audience started chanting Tom's name and cheering as Sam found his place again, announcing the last song of the night is 'Gone With The Wind' and EVERYBODY gave it one last go. You'd look around and people were either jumping, singing, crying or moshing until they couldn't stand it anymore. At times Sam (either lost for words or wanting us to be involved too) turned the mic to us all to sing the lyrics loud and proud. I have to say there was nothing better during the night than hearing what seemed like the entire room screaming "A sickness with no remedy, except the ones inside of me" showing their own respect to Tom Searle, taken way before his time. The song comes to an abrupt end, the lights went off and the cheers grew louder as the house lights came back on.
We will never get sick of seeing this band. They are performing at their absolute best giving 100% every time they play. It is only a matter of time before they overtake some of the bands they've had the pleasure of opening for in the past. Their time is now and evidence of this is in the fact they've managed to sell out (almost) all their shows here in Australia. I feel for you if you missed out on tickets, you're going to regret it until their next appearance down under. Melbourne, you're up next. Give it all you've got. - Browny (@brownypaul)
Setlist
Nililist
Deathwish
These Colour's Don't Run
Dead Man Talking
C.A.N.C.E.R
Phantom Fear
The Devil Is Near
Broken Cross
Downfall
Gavedigger
Colony Collapse
Gravity
Naysayer
Encore
A Match Made In Heaven
Gone With he Wind
Check out the photo gallery by Mitch Chamberlain, Please credit Photographer and Wall of Sound if you use.
Follow Mitch on Twitter: @MJChamberlain. Stalk him on Instagram: @MJChamberlain
Daybreakers
Ocean Grove
Architects
https://twitter.com/Architectsuk/status/859609548780326912
ARCHITECTS – 2017 Australian TourWith Guests: Ocean Grove
Wednesday 3rd May – The Prince, Melbourne (18+) SOLD OUTMinimal Tix Left Here
Thursday 4th May – The Prince, Melbourne (18+) SOLD OUTMinimal Tix Left Here
Friday 5th May – Arrow on Swanston, Melbourne (AA) SOLD OUT
Tuesday 9th May – Metro Theatre, Sydney (AA) SOLD OUT
Wednesday 10th May – Metro Theatre, Sydney (AA) FINAL SHOW
Friday 12th May – Metro, Fremantle (18+)
