Live Review: Architects – Live At Pryzm

Architects returned to London this past weekend with two intimate shows at the Pryzm in Kingston. These shows were put on by Banquet records in parallel with the release of the band’s number 1 album ‘For Those That Wish To Exist’. I was lucky enough to attend these shows in person and I’ll just say that live music is a blessing that has been missed so much by so many. Without any more waffle, here is my review of the Architects show at Pryzm.

Fans clearly were eager to let loose on a Saturday night as the pit started before the band had even begun playing their intro song ‘Do You Dream Of Armageddon’. Architects wasted no time before bringing out the heavy guns with their first song ‘Black Lungs’ sending the crowd into a frenzy. Things only got more intense as the band blistered into ‘Discourse is Dead’ before dropping the intense track ‘Nihilist’ which saw the floor become one giant pit.

The energy exuding from the crowd fed right back into the band’s performance. It was clear that everyone involved was overjoyed with the return of live shows and every track felt like something special. ‘Modern Misery’ kept the crowd lively while ‘An Ordinary Extinction’ warmed the crowd’s voices up for the incoming assault of fan favourites.

Pryzm exploded when ‘A Match Made In Heaven’ started. It was clear that fans couldn’t wait for this one as the entire room sang the words back to the band at the top of their lungs which only grew louder as the band dropped ‘Gravedigger’ straight after. The show was now in full swing and the crowd ate up every track that was thrown at them. ‘Hereafter’ continued the sing-along momentum while new tracks like ‘Giving Blood’, ‘Little Wonder’ and ‘Impermanence’ saw fans expressing their excitement towards the bands latest work.

‘Royal Beggars’ saw both the moshers and singers join in unison to accompany the band stellar performance of the track while new single ‘Dead Butterflies’ was almost the peace In the panic. It was a nice change in pace from the non-stop carnage that had been played before it and gave fans a tiny little break before the last couple of songs.

The break was certainly short-lived as Architects dropped ‘Gone With The Wind’ next. Once again, the crowd cherished every moment this track had to offer which was only amplified by the next track ‘Doomsday’. Fans sang their hearts out during this highly emotional track and it truly was something special to be a part of. Despite only having 1000 people in there, it sounded as if there were 10,000. Architects opened their encore with a great performance of the track ‘Meteor’ before finishing the night off with the emphatic ‘Animals’. Fans knew it was their last chance to let loose for the evening which saw the crowd arguably be the most lively they had been the entire night. Everything from dancing, moshing, and singing took place during this track and just like that, it was over.

If I hadn’t made it obvious enough, the show was extremely special to be at. Both the band and the fans contributed everything they had to create a show to remember. The set was centred around the bands last three albums, with only one track not being from these more recent albums, however this didn’t hinder the mood one bit. Architects always put on a great show, but many may only dream of seeing them in such an intimate setting.