ARCHITECTS

DATE:

VENUE:

Tuesday 13th November 2012

The Cockpit in Leeds, UK

Reviews & Photography by Nicholas Dishington

DEEZ NUTS; BURY TOMORROW

BURY TOMORROW

Where are Bury Tomorrow going? The fact that they seem to be constantly touring, combined with the success of their album ‘Union of Crowns’ out earlier this year, they’re showing signs of heading somewhere special. As much as I enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) their recent effort it does suffer from being a little too familiar and, in places, predictable. That said, the songs themselves are strong enough on their own merits even if they’re not really pushing boundaries. They open with ‘Lionheart’ and it’s immediately obvious that the band’s hard work is paying off, they sound incredibly tight. It sounds as good as on record but 50 times louder than you can probably get from your hi-fi. Following with another track from the latest album with ‘An Honourable Reign’ the band continue to sound on top form. Frontman Daniel Winter-Bates is a great showman tonight, goading the crowd between each song, doing stage-dives and constantly encouraging others to follow suit. I’d say The Cockpit is the perfect venue for these guys; it’s got that grungy, dirty feel that compliments their attitude and sound. I’m interested to see if they manage to get a headlining slot here one day. Moving on, we’re treated to ‘Waxed Wings’ and ‘You & I’ from their earlier EP and album respectively and while I’m not familiar with this material it does hammer home that they can be somewhat predictable; I feel like I already know these songs. Another song later and their finale comes in the form of ‘Royal Blood’, providing a soaring, almost epic, feel to the end of their set. A strong show from these lads, I really hope to see them again soon.

Click on thumbnails for larger images:

DEEZ NUTS

When the Aussie quartet take to the stage it’s hard to be instantly impressed. Opening with the sonically furious ‘Tonight We’re Gonna Party Like There’s No Tomorrow’ with a heavy dose of swagger and energy they make a devastating impact. The Rap feels a little gimmicky but they’re already playing for band of the night. Tracks like ‘DTD’ and ‘Your Mother Should Have Swallowed You’ only compound the feeling, serving up an unhealthy meal of riff and attitude. Standing out the most is Matt Rogers; throughout the set his crunchy sounding guitar provides a solid backbone to the tunes on offer. However, the swagger I mentioned earlier is pretty much encapsulated by vocalist JJ Peters; switching between cockily making his way around the stage during instrumental sections to vehemently barking at the crowd. Ending on ‘I Hustle Everyday’ the band’s set has been thoroughly entertaining although my thoughts are already starting to wander to Architects. I’ve enjoyed Deez Nuts but I’d say their 8 track set has been just about the right amount; any more and it would have been started to get boring.

Click on thumbnails for larger images:

Architects at The Cockpit in Leeds, UK, 13th November 2012

Photograph copyright © 2012 Nicholas Dishington - www.metal-discovery.com

ARCHITECTS

There’s a lot to say about Architects, they’ve been gradually making their way through the ranks for what seems like forever. I remember seeing them playing above a pub in Lincoln during 2007 and the Brighton boys completely owned the place like it was on their home turf. Back then they already had two albums out so I was eager to hear what Sam Carter and his crew had in store now that album number five had dropped earlier this year. For starters, we’re given ‘Alpha Omega’, a powerful but harmonious track that really only serves to ease us in before launching into songs such as ‘Day In Day Out’, ‘Dethroned’ and stomping their way through ‘Daybreak’. Like Bury Tomorrow, tightness is more than obvious, no doubt also due to extensive touring this year. Unlike Bury Tomorrow, their performance has a tang of the unexpected. Most surprisingly, Carter and crew mainly stick to tracks only found on their latest three efforts, avoiding material from their ‘Nightmares’ or ‘Ruin’ eras. The majority of the second half of the set is taken up by tracks from recent album ‘Daybreaker’ with ‘Even If You Win, You’re Still A Rat’, ‘Outsider Heart’ and ‘Devil’s Island’, all taken from said album before being punctuated by earlier track ‘Early Grave’. “We aren’t gonna do that thing where we go and wait at the side of the stage while you shout for one more song. I’m just gonna ask you right now. Do you wanna hear one more fucking song?!” bellows Carter. I always admire this kind of attitude to encores so this bullshit-free introduction to night-closer ‘These Colours Don’t Run’ goes down a treat. A full stage invasion towards the end feels a little forced but you can tell that both the band and crowd are having a fantastic time. It’s a strong end to sum up the set; layered with heavy and melodious, epic and furious.

Click on thumbnails for larger images: