It’s fair to say Architects have had an incredible 12 months. Latest album Lost Forever//Lost Together is being seen by many as a career best for the band. Winning many accolades, breaking the Top 20 album chart and skyrocketing the band into the stratosphere. We caught up with vocalist Sam Carter their Manchester date of their current (and to date biggest headline) tour to chat about what life is currently like in the band camp.
HTF: Lost Forever // Lost Together has been received so so well by not just critics but the fans as well. Did you expect it to get such a strong reaction? Have you noticed a difference at the gigs you have been playing since the release?
Sam: I guess we didn’t think it was going to get as much critical acclaim as it has. For a start winning ‘Album Of The Year’ at the Kerrang Awards was something we never thought would happen. Because everyone had been so sick and so nice to us whilst we were working on the album we had a feeling that people who already likes us, liked the band, we kind of new those people would enjoy as it had a bit of everything that is us. We just didn’t know that it was going to go down this well. The shows have got so good. We have seen a huge increase everywhere. Whereas before we would play a few shit shows and a few good ones, now it’s just reversed and we are just having the best time!
HTF: Quickly going back to your huge win at the Kerrang Awards. A UK band winning that is such a big deal do you see it as maybe a positive shift for UK alternative?
Sam: Yeah taking it back. At first just being at the awards was surreal, we had never even been invited before. From getting invited, to getting nominated and then winning just happened so quick but we were just so stoked and so flattered. Obviously recording an album is never the easiest thing to do so we understood how much effort all the other bands had put into it but I guess at the end of the day we must have put in a little bit more hard work than them.
HTF: With all that has happened over the past year for Architects would you say it has lit a new fire in the band? Has it helped you all both personally and professionally?
Sam: I think we are always in a good spot, we always have been. Now there is this new interest in the band we are still the same as we used to be just a lot more excited. People seem to really like us now so it’s a case of ‘Oh fuck, finally!!’. We can carry on doing what we have been doing but now people are interested which is great! We’ve never had this before, it’s both amazing and ridiculous!
HTF:You find that a lot of parents whose kids join bands are gutted that you don’t have a ‘real job’. Did you have this from your family? If so did that eventually change or do they still worry? When did they realise it wasn’t you just messing about? i mean you have now had a top 20 album.
Sam: They have always been really supportive. Especially with Architects. What we were putting into it. We spent so much time away that we couldn’t get ‘proper’ jobs. Everyones parents were just so supportive of us. We have never been one of those bands who get everything from mummy and daddy but they have always had our backs. Be it giving us places to live and just supporting us. I think when we first played the KoKo in Camden was when my folks realised that we were a ‘proper’ band.
HTF: And also the fact you have a top 20 album under your belts.
Sam: Yeah, now they are ‘Why’s it not Top 10’ whilst we are all ‘calm down, calm down’.
HTF:As a person and a band grows so does their personal and collective tastes in music do you think this is a fair statement when it comes to you guys?. Anything musically that has been inspiring you as of late? I don’t mean just new artists/albums. maybe someone you have given a listen to that you haven’t before?
Sam: At the moment I’m all over the new Stick To Your Guns record. In general they are a band that really inspired us and not only are they friends but a band I really look up to. As a vocalist and a person Jesse (STYG vocalist) is just amazing.
As a band we have pretty similar tastes. I know Tom and Dan (Guitarist and Drummer) are really into the new Tesseract album. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Triptides which has that old 70’s psychedelic rock thing going on. It’s nice to have time to listen to music that isn’t super aggressive all the time. We are around that constantly so sometimes it’s good to hear other things. The new Every Time I Die album is just so sick though.
HTF: Over the last decade you have never been one of those bands that is afraid of touring. After this long do you still have that hunger for hitting the road? What are your touring essentials?
Sam: We are none stop. After this tour we have two weeks off then straight to Australia. Before this tour we were in Manilla, then Japan, then Paris, a bunch of weeks in Europe and now we are here. After that we may give ourselves a few weeks off which will be nice but we enjoy touring and I think that is the whole reason we do well. It’s like hanging with your mates and going travelling, the shows are never boring to us, we love playing, we love travelling and just hanging out with each other. It’s basically a huge holiday with your best mates and I hate it when bands moan about it. What else are you going to do, this is all we have ever wanted and we are lucky enough to have that opportunity which is sick. You just have to know the right tours to pick as we have picked some real stinkers in the past. Now we are a bit more educated about the right and wrong tours.
HTF:So you have Every time I Die, Bless the Fall & Counterpart on this tour with you. in the past you have brought bands such as Deez nuts, Rolo Tomassi, Bury Tomorrow, Stray From the Path and so many more. How do you go about choosing who to take? Is it a case of getting your buddies in, helping newer acts or agents deciding?
Sam: It’s a mixture. We always try and have the best line-ups. Kids are paying money so give them something special. That last tour when we had Stray From The Path and Northlane was ridiculous. If those two were just on a tour together I would have gone. We are just really lucky to have so many friends in sick bands and they do really well too. On this tour, we have been friends with Every Time I Die for ages and wanted to get them out with us. It’s just such an honour to us to go on after them. We just did a tour with them in the states for six weeks and what a bunch of fucking legends. We were on second on that tour. Every night we would play maybe six songs, come off, quickly get showered and then every night head on to the balcony and watch Every time I Die. They are just the best band and after 16 years and still crushing it like they do is simply amazing.
HTF: We guess having to follow a band like that makes you want to work harder on stage too.
Sam: Exactly yes. If you have a shit band on before you, you can think maybe we will walk it tonight but going on after Every Time I Die is NEVER easy.
HTF:We are only in the first part of 2015 and you are currently hitting this tour but what can we expect from Architects for the rest of 2015?
Sam: We have Australia. A Bunch of festivals in Europe. One in the UK I believe. Other than that straight back in to write a new record. Going to get writing, concentrate on that. Book studio time and hopefully we will have something recorded by the end of the year. It’s all in the works. We are just excited to get on with it, off the back of this album, with the buzz behind us its going to make the studio so much more fun. With the last record doing so well it lets us know what people are liking. Which is killer as that is the stuff we were wanting to play. If they like that then we can improve on it. I don’t think anyone needs to worry about us coming out with another ‘Heartburn’ so don’t worry about that.
HTF: Ok, we have been ordered to ask you this question but sadly can’t tell you who by…..What are your feelings about the band Severely Burnt Face?
Sam: (laughs) A great band, formed by two members of Architects who started a death metal project. It was insane that it happened. They created a MySpace. tried to get signed and it was just ridiculous.
HTF: Finally. The best way to find the truth out about a person is to get them to empty their mind and then we throw a selection of choices at you which you must then choose without thinking. Here we go.
Joey or Chandler?
Sam: Chandler
Cats or Dogs?
Sam: Cats
Home or Tour?
Sam: Tour
Metal or Punk
Sam: Punk
Tom Delonge or Matt Skiba
Sam: Skiba
Seaside or Countryside
Sam: Seaside
Booze or Water
Sam: Water
Bill & Ted or Wayne & Garth
Sam: Wayne & Garth
