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“Fuck me, it feels good to be home!” Sam Carter proclaims, pausing to bask in a well-earned moment of pride. Over the last two decades, Architects have steadily risen up through the ranks of the British metalcore scene - and Download crowds have eagerly supported their growth.
Honestly, headlining Download Festival's Apex Stage feels long overdue, but we got here eventually. And, from the off, all signs point to a thing of triumph. Under the golden glow of the late afternoon sun, pits whirl for Whiplash and Black Lungs. The area is thoroughly rammed (the jury is out as to how many stragglers have wandered over for a mid-set break from Guns N Roses), the blegh-centric smack spiking in ferocity during the “bitter and then some!” hit of Gravedigger.
But that's when things take a sour turn. It's a clash of the titans - Download Festival versus one of British metal's most renown frontmen as security seem to stop the show. A stop-start tug of war seems to ensue within Carter’s in-ears, displeasure colouring his face before he fully storms off stage. “I'm either playing or I'm not,” he says before disappearing during Blackhole.
The Apex Stage has had a few teething pains over the last few years - 2023 in particular saw people complaining about Ghost and Evanescence’s headline slots there, noting the relatively small space for such high profile acts - and murmurs are spreading that there just isn't enough room down the front for some proper moshing.
When Carter re-emerges, he's almost laughing at how ridiculous he sounds telling the crowd to calm down at a rock festival. Eventually, Blackhole’s rumble does get unleashed, but following cut Impermanence ironically seems to show the momentum isn't sticking around for long.
“We do this all over Europe all the time,” Sam sighs eventually. After a lengthy, awkward gap and another storm-off, Download's security and the singer seem to reach an agreement. But there's a crack in every grin Carter flashes for the crowd, something that undercuts his heartfelt reflection on overcoming alcoholism during Broken Mirror, or even the nod to the next-gen of metal when Landmvrks’ Florent Salfati hops out for Braindead.
Let's not mince words here: moshing’s mess of arms and elbows can, of course, be dangerous. But the chaos of this set suggests that either Architects are too big for this stage, or there's been a shortfall in proper preparation to handle high energy bands in this area of the festival. It's a damn shame to see such a beloved band being handed such a handicap during an otherwise celebratory affair.
