Live reviews : Architects (Paris, Oslo & London)
07:24I really wanted to write separate reviews for those gigs, but it turns out I can't, really.So, once again, going to an Architects gig (or three) is going to turn into a tribute to one of my favourite bands in the entire world.
At first, I just meant to go see Architects at my local show (London), and if I had had the chance to go to another UK show, I would have gone.
And then Tom happened.
And I felt like I needed to go to more, not on "the off chance that I may be able to go", but on the certainty that I would do everything in my power to attend as many shows as I could.
Paris was an easy one to choose - that's my hometown, and mostly, it meant I would go with my brother. I've said repeatedly how our love for Architects brought me and my brother closer together, and on the day we found out about Tom, the first thing I did was try to call him to let him know, and ask him to buy our tickets.
Then... I was watching a YouTube video and someone said they were going to the Oslo show, and it would be emotional because it would have been Tom's birthday. And then it all made sense. I waited for payday, bought myself flights and a ticket and a hostel and here to Norway I went.
I didn't really write anything related to Paris and Oslo. I did, however, write a few words about the London show on the train home.
"How do I even start this. How do I even write about that.
I have just left Brixton Academy where Architects played, quite honestly, the best gig of the year. At least.
The evening started with the Americans of Stick To Your Guns. Their hardcore infused tunes resonate around the beautiful setting for the evening - a place that frontman Jesse Harnett will describe in those words : "I thought it was a place where they had plays. If they'd known what is happening, they would be upset" (or something similar, I might have been crying already by that point). I can imagine a play or ten being staged in Brixton Academy. And yet Stick To Your Guns don't feel out of place up there. They are following in the footsteps of many heavier bands that have graced that stage, and they showed how they belonged, how they mattered, how it was only right for them to be here, how they greatly deserve a place under the sun. They played with such energy and conviction... Whether you like them or not, there's something to admire here.
(They also announced themselves as support for the upcoming Parkway Drive tour. I suppose we'll see each other in the same room again. My pleasure, always)"
I felt that way all three times. I have seen Stick To Your Guns four times now, and each and every time, they have impressed me with their energy, their conviction, and how intense and real everything they do, everything they say and everything they are is. When they were playing in Oslo, Jesse didn't have any problem condemning whaling in a country where you can walk around and easily find a place to have a whale steak for lunch. There is so much courage and so much bravery in that band, and I have all the time and admiration in the world for that.
"Bury Tomorrow came up second, and the atmosphere was oh so different from when they'd supported, surprise surprise, Parkway Drive in the exact same building. (It all comes back around, doesn't it). Back in February, people knew them (of course they did, you'd have to live under a rock to be ever so slightly into metalcore and not know Bury Tomorrow) and their energy was convincing enough to get three circle pits started at once, but tonight... It was a triumph. I've seen Bury Tomorrow thirty times now, and I've always believed in them, always believed they would do great, always wanted them to headline massive venues, and yet, I never thought there would be a day when I'd hear five thousand people sing along to Lionheart or Earthbound as one. I've always wanted it and this is nothing short of mental. Bury Tomorrow rose to the challenge with an energy, a sincerity and an ease beyond belief - my favourite things about them. There's not much I like about them more than I adore how frontman Dani Winter-Bates shouts at the crowd that all he wants is to put a big old smile on everyone's faces. And God, did they put one on mine. As closer Earthbound is played, unleashing chaos around Brixton one last time, I look at this lot and realise that I'm, quite simply put, insanely proud of them. And I've also found myself a new favourite thing about them - they can play to five thousand people and still be the most down to Earth and humble people around. God we need that".
I think I've felt that way all thirty times I've seen Bury Tomorrow. There's not one single reason why I kept coming back - there's millions of them, and we'd still be there in three days if I tried listing them all. I also kind of want to use this space to tell the world how much I love them as people, because in a world where I've heard one too many times that bands don't really care about you and that to them, you're just a face in the crowd, they have proved all these voices wrong and showed me more love and attention than I've ever deserved.
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| (Oslo) |
“There’s a sense of something in the air, as the giant ‘All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us’ banner floats in front of the stage. I think that no one really needed the supports to remind us, we all knew - tonight is going to be special.
And it is.
Oh God, it is.
It is because there will always be something special about a metalcore band on its way to making it big.
It is because hearing five thousand people shouting “You had it all, you fucking pigs” as one is nothing short of a victory for reasons I couldn’t even start to explain.
It is because when you couldn’t imagine how every single Architects track could sound bigger, they’ve gone and done it and made everything sound like it was the boldest song ever written.
It is because they had fucking fireworks during Gone With The Wind, and a show with fireworks is always going to win in my books.
It is because it is a victory for our scene, it is because despite what the James Hetfields and the Gene Simmons and the Geezer Butlers of the world say, there ARE great metal bands around if you only take five seconds to open your eyes, and let me tell you, they haven’t looked very hard if they have managed to overlook the tornado that is an Architects show.”
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| Oslo |
It was also very, very special because it was the confirmation that Architects have slowly but surely become more than a band - they are a movement. They’re not just a political band and they’re not just angry vegans. They are here to speak about the things that matter, and thinking about Sam Carter’s speeches about Sea Shepherd and about how we need to protect the environment gives me chills, still. They have become a movement because as I make my way to the Sea Shepherd stall in Brixton, the lovely volunteer told me they have ran out of t-shirts sizes. They have become a movement because it’s not their merch they’ve run out of, it’s the environmental organisation they have brought on tour with them that is running out of merchandise. They have become the voice of the generation who can change the world, of the generation who cares - who cares enough to decide to support an environmental organisation and wear its colours and its cause proudly. They are the voice of the generation who wants to fix things.
They are the voice that proves that metalcore isn’t just there for the moshpits and the breakdowns - it has brains, it has a voice, and, it’s there to open the world’s eyes.
“But we all know that this is the most special show ever because we all know that this show, those five thousand people, that sold out Brixton Academy, it is the best tribute any of us could have ever paid to Tom. It was the most special show ever because every single one of us gave their everything for one person and one person only. And as drummer (and arguably bravest man on Earth) Dan Searle took the floor to tell us a couple of words about his lost twin, as he mentions how Tom can’t see what is happening tonight, one single voice in the crowd resonates in the silence.
‘He can see you’.”
Tom isn’t the elephant in the room - not in Paris, not in Oslo, not in London, not anywhere, not ever. He is there, always present - because, as Sam said in London, these shows are about “opening Tom’s diary and singing some of the greatest metal songs ever written”.
At every single one of these shows, I found myself in absolute sobs. There is the pain, obviously. I have talked about this before, quite extensively - Tom’s passing broke my heart beyond belief, and there is rarely a day when I don’t think about him. What he created with Architects will be a part of me forever and has impacted my life in ways I could barely start to explain. But these tears, they’re mostly there because I cannot comprehend how these men on stage do it, how they carry on, how they make it. You can see the pain on their faces every time. What broke me the most in Oslo wasn’t the words Sam said, it was the look on his face.
And it’s not just me.
When I turned around to leave Brixton Academy, I was facing five thousand people in tears.
It’s not just me.
It’s five thousand lives Tom has impacted forever.
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| London |
“I wish I had more words and I wish I could say more about the actual performance, or about Sam’s vocal prowess because believe me, it was out of this world, but it feels irrelevant right now.
Architects have walked on a stage in front of five thousand people and proved that more than being at the top of their game, they can show strength beyond belief. And I want this to be acknowledged. I know everyone else will say a word or ten about their performance and that’s why you don’t need me on top of the pile. That’s why I want to use this space to say just how Architects have all my admiration and how I don’t know how they do it. They are an everyday inspiration to me, today more than ever.”
I will never, ever forget those three shows, those three adventures. And I want to say thank you for all of that, for the inspiration, for doing it, for playing those three insane shows (and Sam for his time in Oslo).
The main reason why I will never forget those shows is because, believe me, I’ve been to a lot of shows. I’ve been to festivals, to farewell tours, to album shows, to arenas, to sweaty basements. And yet I’ve never felt that much love in a room. I was scared, at first, you know. There was a post on one of the events saying that the moshpit would be even more violent as a tribute to Tom, and as a tiny girl who just happens to like heavy music, I was scared. And yes, the moshpits were as violent as you can expect them at an Architects show (I mean, I’ve ended up with two concussions). But the violence of the moshpits has been outshone by the love everywhere. I’ll never forget the signs everyone was holding in Paris and Oslo. I’ll never forget the man at the front in Oslo, in tears with a massive smile on his face, holding Dan’s drumstick. I’ll never forget everyone hugging in Brixton. I’ll never forget the moment when me, Mel, Emma and Morgane all hugged each other after Gone with the Wind in Paris, all of us in sobs and holding on to each other for dear life. I’ll never forget the moment when I just hugged my brother for ten minutes and I didn’t want to let go and he didn’t say anything but I knew he had cried. I’ll never forget the love I’ve seen in those three rooms. I’ve never seen that much love anywhere else, ever.
And in a world that is exploding, every second of every day, it was amazing having a reminder that such pure love still exists - coming from the most unexpected place.
Metalcore isn't just there for the moshpits, the violence and the breakdowns.
It has brains and a conscience and it's there to open the world's eyes.
It has a massive heart, too.
Metalcore isn't just there for the moshpits, the violence and the breakdowns.
It has brains and a conscience and it's there to open the world's eyes.
It has a massive heart, too.
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