Architects Unite And Inspire At The House of Blues In Las Vegas

I arrived at the Mandalay Bay Resort and made my way through the casino floor in order to get to the House of Blues. There was a massive line of people still waiting to get inside, stretching from the entrance all the way back into the casino alongside various slot machines. The English metalcore band Architects were back in North America on the Broken Mirror Tour, along with Holywatr, making a brief run across the country as they make their way towards the big summer festivals.

Holywatr had previously toured with Architects in 2025, and it seems like they really hit it off together because not only is Holywatr their direct support, they are the only other band on this tour. As the lights dimmed and they came onstage, they wasted no time getting the crowd riled up. Their blend of heavy and melodic guitar riffs had the crowd moving in sync, as the occasional crowd surfer tried to get past the barricade.

Soon afterwards, it was time for Architects to take to the stage. Still supporting their latest album, The Sky, The Earth & All Between, their set consisted of a majority of songs from that record such as “Elegy,” “Whiplash,” and “Blackhole.” However they still included a couple songs from their earlier discography like “Doomsday” and one of my personal favorites “Gravedigger.” Hearing the first notes played from “Gravedigger” made me wish I wasn’t carrying some very expensive camera gear so I could throw myself into the mosh pit that the crowd had just exploded into. There’s not a lot of moments in live music that hit quite hard as hearing Sam Carter scream his signature “BLEGH” as the breakdown hits.

Another key moment I want to mention is about halfway through their set, Sam Carter noticed a young girl on the second floor balcony watching the show with her family. He urged the crowd to quiet down in order to talk directly to her, thanking her for watching the show and her parents for bringing her, and mentioning for her to ignore any swearing he might have done previously in the show. He talked about seeing the future generation being brought to shows as they’ve gotten older, and how everyone is always welcome. Pointing out that despite how the crowd looks like they’re killing each other, this will always be a safe space for those that are apart of this community.

I’ve been to countless shows over the years, and one thing is for certain, Architects are still one of my favorite bands to see live. Their sound has changed and grown just as they have throughout the years, but their attitude onstage has never wavered. Architects are a testament to power of live music and its ability to bring people together, once they’re done pummeling each other in the mosh pits that is.