British band Architects plays ‘sharp’ music in Manila

MANILA, Philippines—To a regular audience, Architects will sound no more than a fist forcing its way inside an ear. But to avid fans of this British band from Brighton, England, this group of four—Sam Carter on vocals, Tom Searle on guitar and keyboard, Alex Dean on bass, and Dan Searle on drums—is the truth, akin to a mirror reflecting anything standing right in front of it.

Having released six studio albums and one split EP since 2006, Architects have explored numerous sounds that helped make the band’s musicality evolve. And apparent enough, from the two-minute “To the Death” track of its debut album “Nightmares” to the seemingly candid but accurate “Gravedigger” of its 2014 LP “Lost Forever // Lost Together,” much has changed with Architects.

If there is one thing that remained steady in the band’s run in the music industry, it is the downright honest lyrics that the quartet brings to the table that is constant and unfazed. And this was exactly what they brought to Manila when they played an hour and a half-long show at the SM North Edsa Skydome last Feb. 7—a showcase of sharp words paired with above average mastery of the strings and the percussion.

Brutal, casual

Carter was casual on stage while chanting gripping words from tracks “Broken Cross,” “The Devil is Near,” “Dead Man Talking,” “Castles in the Air,” and “Alpha Omega.” He wasn’t even hopping around—something you somehow expect from a band vocalist. But the message of each song they performed delivered the “brutal” tang expected of the Architects.

Whether it’s a matter of the heart or of the society, Architects can only sing honestly about anything.

In a plain black wife beater top (and dark denim jeans), Carter and the rest of the group continued to kill the stage with “Naysayer,” “Youth is Wasted on the Young,” “These Colours Don’t Run,” “The Distant Blue,” and “Gravedigger,” among five others.

Carter dropped the “F” word a number of times that night, if not a hundred. And the audience just banged their head and body to the music while some ran and went infinite in a circle pit.

If anything, Architects felt like a fine fist bump to the ears—thanks to the engulfing melody the band plays. And the screams were rather enthralling than intolerable.

The Architects Live in Manila was organized by PULP Live World.