Blog Post
Architects with support from Polaris & Beartooth
Nicholas Ross • Jan 17, 2019
The night kicked off with a short set from Australian metalcore band Polaris. Their sound was mixed very well with guitars drums and bass sounding punchy and heavy while the vocals still managed to cut through the mix clearly. This made for a very enjoyable set as the band played through a handful of their songs including the extremely heavy ‘Consume’ and ‘Lucid’ and the slightly more laidback ‘Dusk To Day’. They maintained a solid groove throughout with the entire band giving it their all from start to finish. It was also one of the few times I have seen crowd surfers during an opening band’s set showing that Polaris were the perfect fit for the lineup and did a great job of warming up the audience.
Next to take the stage were American hardcore group Beartooth. They played a mixture of older material such as the incredibly catchy songs, ‘The Lines’, ‘In Between’ and ‘Body Bag’ and more recent songs like the fast and frantic ‘Bad Listener’ which they opened their set with and ‘Disease’ which they finished their set with. Similarly to Polaris the instruments sat nicely in the mix however the vocals could have been turned up more as there were points where they were drowned out by the guitars and drums. It was an impressive set showcasing the bands entire career and it continued to get the audience worked up for the main event. My only complaint is that the drum solo seemed unnecessary for a 45-minute set even though it was technically impressive.
Architects began their set with one of their new songs ‘Death Is Not Defeat’. The intense performance of this song was like a statement proving that the band were still going strong despite the tragic loss of founding guitarist Tom Searle in 2016. From this point onwards, it was a full throttle night of music. The guitars and bass sounded extremely loud and crunchy as the band played their signature detuned riffs and crushing breakdowns. The guitars really stood out when the played blistering renditions of ‘Gravedigger’ and ‘Mortal After All’. The drums sounded fantastic with every hit of the kit making the floor of the venue shake, in particular the snare and kick drum sounded tight and no one in the venue could stand still during the set as the drumbeats demanded movement from the crowd. Sam Carter’s vocals were some of the best I have ever heard in a live performance. His voice sat just above the other instruments in the mix and helped strengthen the foundations created by the rest of the bands rhythm playing. The rasp in his voice during the bands performance of ‘Naysayer’ was especially impressive because his vocals mirrored those on the album recording which is always nice to hear. The power and control in Carter’s voice and the instrumentalists technical proficiency was fully on display when they hammered their way through stunning performances of ‘Modern Misery’, ‘A Wasted Hymn’ and ‘Royal Beggars’ which for me were some of the highlights of the night. The stage setup was very interesting as well because the band had a screen behind them which animations and clips from some of their music videos would play on during the songs. For the encore, a love heart was projected onto the screen with Tom Searle’s initials inside it as they played through the emotional ‘Gone With The Wind’ before closing with a performance of ‘Doomsday’ that genuinely gave me chills when I witnessed it and it was a brilliant tribute to Tom and the legacy he left for the band. The use of pyrotechnics, confetti cannons and a very complex and bold light show made the night a lot of fun and throughout the Academy people were headbanging, moshing and crowd surfing to their hearts content. The set contained songs that mostly came from Architects new album ‘Holy Hell’ and their previous 2 albums ‘All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us’ and ‘Lost Forever//Lost Together’. Due to this I was pleasantly surprised when the band played one of their classic songs ‘These Colours Don’t Run’ complete with a ‘Here we go’ interlude from the audience. Overall this night was a great first gig of the new year for me and showcased a band with drive and maturity who know how to put on a hell of a show. One things for sure, I would recommend that people go to see the band if they are touring anywhere near you and believe me, the next time they come to Glasgow, I’ll be first in line for tickets.
NR
Next to take the stage were American hardcore group Beartooth. They played a mixture of older material such as the incredibly catchy songs, ‘The Lines’, ‘In Between’ and ‘Body Bag’ and more recent songs like the fast and frantic ‘Bad Listener’ which they opened their set with and ‘Disease’ which they finished their set with. Similarly to Polaris the instruments sat nicely in the mix however the vocals could have been turned up more as there were points where they were drowned out by the guitars and drums. It was an impressive set showcasing the bands entire career and it continued to get the audience worked up for the main event. My only complaint is that the drum solo seemed unnecessary for a 45-minute set even though it was technically impressive.
Architects began their set with one of their new songs ‘Death Is Not Defeat’. The intense performance of this song was like a statement proving that the band were still going strong despite the tragic loss of founding guitarist Tom Searle in 2016. From this point onwards, it was a full throttle night of music. The guitars and bass sounded extremely loud and crunchy as the band played their signature detuned riffs and crushing breakdowns. The guitars really stood out when the played blistering renditions of ‘Gravedigger’ and ‘Mortal After All’. The drums sounded fantastic with every hit of the kit making the floor of the venue shake, in particular the snare and kick drum sounded tight and no one in the venue could stand still during the set as the drumbeats demanded movement from the crowd. Sam Carter’s vocals were some of the best I have ever heard in a live performance. His voice sat just above the other instruments in the mix and helped strengthen the foundations created by the rest of the bands rhythm playing. The rasp in his voice during the bands performance of ‘Naysayer’ was especially impressive because his vocals mirrored those on the album recording which is always nice to hear. The power and control in Carter’s voice and the instrumentalists technical proficiency was fully on display when they hammered their way through stunning performances of ‘Modern Misery’, ‘A Wasted Hymn’ and ‘Royal Beggars’ which for me were some of the highlights of the night. The stage setup was very interesting as well because the band had a screen behind them which animations and clips from some of their music videos would play on during the songs. For the encore, a love heart was projected onto the screen with Tom Searle’s initials inside it as they played through the emotional ‘Gone With The Wind’ before closing with a performance of ‘Doomsday’ that genuinely gave me chills when I witnessed it and it was a brilliant tribute to Tom and the legacy he left for the band. The use of pyrotechnics, confetti cannons and a very complex and bold light show made the night a lot of fun and throughout the Academy people were headbanging, moshing and crowd surfing to their hearts content. The set contained songs that mostly came from Architects new album ‘Holy Hell’ and their previous 2 albums ‘All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us’ and ‘Lost Forever//Lost Together’. Due to this I was pleasantly surprised when the band played one of their classic songs ‘These Colours Don’t Run’ complete with a ‘Here we go’ interlude from the audience. Overall this night was a great first gig of the new year for me and showcased a band with drive and maturity who know how to put on a hell of a show. One things for sure, I would recommend that people go to see the band if they are touring anywhere near you and believe me, the next time they come to Glasgow, I’ll be first in line for tickets.
NR