The corridors adjacent to London’s The O2 arena are brimming with people, mostly anxious to fit in a couple of beers and probably meet up with their peers ahead of the Architects show. A sea of band T-shirts is seen aimlessly walking around, until the knock on the clock signals the opening of doors. An orderly crowd quickly forms towards the arches to undergo security checks. Tonight the band are joined by Wage War and House Of Protection.
Architects – Wage War – House Of Protection
The O2, London – 12 October 2025
Words: Dany Jones
Photography: Manuela Langotsch
It is an early call for a packed out The O2, which sees an explosive start thanks to the electronic duo House Of Protection opening proceedings.
House Of Protection
Hailing from the LA suburbs of sunny California, USA, House Of Protection have only been captivating audiences since 2024, yet they are sure taking the world by storm.
A support tour to Bad Omens may have put them on the map with larger audiences. However, their fusion of bombastic percussive explosions intertwined with ethereal melodic soundscapes creates something truly remarkable that does not go unnoticed.
Drawing from the likes of the Prodigy, Massive Attack, and even a sprinkle of Sleep Token, the dynamic duo are notably electrifying. They perform an eight-song set that not once loses momentum, with Godspeed literally raising the roof.
Friends with Architects and featuring on their record, it only made sense that they would join forces and embark on a joint live run. House Of Protection most certainly live up to expectations and set the tone for an evening for the books.
Wage War
Next on the bill are Wage War, following suit with their trademark US Metalcore. Opening with their legendary Tombstone, they immediately captivate the London crowd, reaffirming the tone for what is yet to come.
Sonically flawless and skilfully complemented with an enchanting game of laser beams, the band seem to have taken note of previous criticism, which derogated their performance as being a little underwhelming.
This was primarily aimed at the staticity of their frontman, Briton Bond.
Tonight, they are indeed in full form and prove to be a more than suitable main support.
Featuring their best catalogue on display, they oscillate between the feral and the more reflective. The moment Low drops, the room detonates. The riffs hit like shockwaves, and suddenly the floor transforms into a battlefield of circle pits.
Stitch stands out with even more ferocity, with each breakdown provoking another eruption of limbs and roars, and it is pure chaos made flesh. 
Then comes the pivot. As Circle The Drain begins, the aggression softens into something almost transcendent. The crowd, once a hurricane, becomes an ocean, with arms raised in salute, swaying in unison from left to right.
It is a collective exhale, a moment of connection that reminds everyone that they are here not just for the chaos, but for the catharsis. Gracefully bowing to give way, Manic concludes with the promise that this shall not be the last time the band are in London.
Architects
From the moment the Brighton titans take the stage, it is clear that this will be a communal exorcism wrapped in riffs, games of light, and that raw electricity that Architects only know too well how to summon.
More lasers beaming every which way greet the foursome who, after a quick intro, unapologetically explode into the brutality of Elegy, immediately followed by an even more thunderous Whiplash.
With their 11th studio release surpassing every expectation, a visibly excited Carter has made it his mission to get into the soul of every single fan and make them partake in the mayhem. 
“London, we need to make this fucking biblical,” Carter says. “Don’t be a loser and get the fuck down,” hailing at the audience to crouch down in preparation for the next exhale. “We are called Architects, and for the next hour and a half, your ass belongs to me.”
After all, it does not happen every day to headline The O2 arena.
Relentless, Architects take no prisoners as they unleash the heavyweights one after the other and have the entire perimeter chant and worship only like a good disciple would. 
Every breakdown lands like a seismic hit, every word resonates, while the crowd is fed with every riff.
The set unsurprisingly focuses on the new album, The Sky, The Earth And All Between, but of course, they could not omit their greatest hits.
This night is also a celebration of friendships and collaborations, and a tasteful dedication is offered to ex-BMTH keyboardist and producer Jordan Fish, who collaborated on Curse.
Time for another challenge. “How many people in this room have never crowd surfed before?” Carter grins. “We already beat Slipknot in Manchester, we have got a record to beat.”
He then invites the Wage War frontman to co-lead on a ponderous Impermanence, while soon it is the turn of his long-term friends and opening act for the night, House Of Protection.
Flying about like a jumping jack and bowing in unison to follow to one hell of a breakdown, the team provide an earthshaking rendition of Brain Dead.
Mid-set, Carter takes a rare pause to reflect on the band’s journey, the highs, the heartbreaks, and the unwavering loyalty of their fans. His words are sincere, grounded, and deeply human. The emotion peaks with a heartfelt dedication to their late friend and crew member Myles Kent, as Everything Ends is performed in his remembrance.
The O2 glows brighter than ever with a constellation of phone lights held aloft like a candle, and every face is illuminated in shared commotion.
Needless to say that on Doomsday rolling in like a lumbering avalanche, the arena erupts one more time, culminating into a truly cathartic sing-a-long.
But it is the trifecta Blackhole, Seeing Red and the glorious Animals that truly mark the seal of the deal.
It is a true pity that the singer’s voice sounds tired and overworked, as if he may be in need of a break. Yet, however pitchy in places and struggling to hit his notable highs, it is undeniable that Sam Carter has delivered a masterclass in sheer entertainment, by grabbing, captivating and connecting as a great frontman would.
Add the skilful musicianship of his backers, the exceptional songwriting and their ravening performance, Architects have donned the earth with a copious number of indelible hits and tonight have delivered on all fronts.
It may have been a long and winding road. Nonetheless, the years of hard graft, the pushbacks and hurdles this band have encountered, seem to have finally paid off.
Architects – The O2 – Set list
Elegy
Whiplash
When We Were Young
Black Lungs
Curse
A Match Made in Heaven
Deep Fake
Impermanence
Red Hypergiant
Gravedigger
Brain Dead (with House of Protection)
Meteor
Everything Ends
These Colours Don’t Run
Gone With the Wind
Doomsday
Blackhole
Seeing Red
Animals
