GalleryDitch This MagazineDecember 14, 2025gallery, live, Gallery, Sydney, James Gough, Architects, House of Protection

Architects + House of Protection + Presidents @ The Hordern Pavillion 13-12-25

GalleryDitch This MagazineDecember 14, 2025gallery, live, Gallery, Sydney, James Gough, Architects, House of Protection

photos: James Gough
@byjamesgough

When you think 2025 has nothing left to give, nights like this prove otherwise. Catch-ups with friends, a feed at Mary’s, and seeing Architects at the Hordern Pavilion put a bow on an absolutely wild year for live music in this country.

Masked bands are more common than ever, and I’m no hater. I grew up during peak nu-metal with Slipknot and Mushroomhead, and I’m obsessed with some of the current wave — Gaerea, Imperial Triumphant, Sleep Token & Sydney’s own Cenobia to name a few.

But with success always comes the inevitable wave of imitators.

Unfortunately, President fall into that category. Musically, the band is tight and they sound great, but there’s just no substance behind it. Generic drop-G “bam-ba-bam” riffs into pop choruses played by emotionless musicians, fronted by a singer who looks like Patrick Swayze in Point Break. Now, if the songs are actually about robbing banks and surfing, I take it all back because that’s cool as hell… but I doubt it. Honestly, a local support might’ve done a better job warming up the crowd.

House of Protection were pure chaos in the form of a band. The lineup features — in my opinion — one of the greatest drummers currently walking the planet, Ari Improta (see his other band, Night Verses), along with Stephen Harrison, formerly of The Chariot. That alone should tell you everything.

Their set is almost impossible to follow. Both members were airborne at multiple points, with Stephen jumping into the crowd during which absolutely set the room off. And how many times have you seen a drummer do backflips mid-set? Probably never. Their brand of pop-infused hardcore is ridiculously infectious. “Godspeed,” “Fire,” and “Pulling Teeth” were highlights for me. I’m jealous of anyone who’d never heard them before this show — what an introduction. House of Protection aren’t just a band to see; they’re a band to experience.

Anyone in their right mind would hate to follow that — but this isn’t just any band. It’s Architects, a band I’ve been seeing for well over a decade.

Not once in all that time have they disappointed. 2009 opening for Parkway Drive. 2015 with Stick to your Guns at The Roundhouse. Their 2019 Big Top on the Holy Hell run— a record that’s in my personal top five of all time — was incredible. Their 2023 show had me in literal tears. There’s a reason they’re one of the biggest bands on the planet, and I’m grateful to witness them in their prime.

The setlist contained everything you could hope for: “Doomsday,” “When We Were Young,” “A Match Made in Heaven.” There were surprises too, like “Red Hypergiant” from 2014’s Lost Forever // Lost Together and “Gone With the Wind,” with mainstays from the last few records — “Meteor,” “Black Lungs,” “Animals” — hit just as hard as ever.

A heavy dose of tracks from their latest album The Sky, The Earth & All Between was expected. “The Elegy” was the perfect opener straight into “Whiplash,” with “Blackhole,” sounding like the heaviest song that’s ever been played at the Hordern. “Seeing Red,” “Black Mirror,” and “Brain Dead” fit seamlessly into the setlist.

Sure, I could’ve selfishly wished for 25 more songs, but just like 2009, 2015, 2019, and 2023, I left this show wondering where it would rank among my all-time favourite Architects shows. And honestly? It’s at the very top — no question.