On July 24th, Architects brought their 2025 North American Tour to Marathon Music Works in Nashville, supported by a powerhouse lineup of openers. ERRA, a progressive metalcore band from Birmingham, Alabama, and rising act holywatr, the night delivered a relentless wall of sound from start to finish.
Opening the night was Holywatr. The moment his voice floated through the venue, the crowd fell into a trance. There was something haunting and otherworldly about his delivery ethereal yet raw. “Nail Polish” had everyone swaying in unison, like we were all caught in the same storm. And then “Loose Ends” hit tender, dark, and explosive all at once and I found myself putting my camera down for a second just to absorb it. That doesn’t happen often.
Next up was Erra, and the shift was instant. They came out swinging, loud and gritty, drenching the room in a wave of technical precision and heavy emotion. “Slow Sour Bleed” had the pit moving with full force, while “Cure” felt like a sonic gut punch in the best way possible. From a photographer’s perspective, their lighting and movements were a dream with their pure chaos in rhythm, and the crowd was living for it.
Then came Architects. Nashville might be known for cowboy hats and country ballads, but Sam Carter walked out embodying a whole new breed of southern swagger like if cowboy boots met breakdowns in a dark alley. His stage presence was unreal. They tore through a brutal, perfectly-paced set that shook the walls. The crowd screamed every lyric, climbed on shoulders, and gave back every ounce of energy the band poured out. It was one of those performances that reminds you why you fell in love with live music in the first place.
From beginning to end, the show was phenomenal. Every artist brought something different, yet the night flowed seamlessly like a well-orchestrated dream that just kept getting better.
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