Hello, thank you for speaking with me today, I really appreciate it.

Hey, no problem.

I just have a few questions for you.

Sure, chuck ‘em my way.

It’s been nearly a year since the release of Hollow Crown in Australia, are you still psyched about playing the songs live, or are you ready to go into the studio, write some more songs?

Ahh, we’re definitely like excited, I mean we’ve only been able to do one tour in Australia. So, you know, I think Australian fan will still be excited to hear the songs. And I mean we still enjoy playing those songs live, they’re super fun but we are writing these new songs now so...

Is it difficult writing songs when you’re on tour?

Ahhh, we actually have like two months off right now, so we’re pretty much in the studio as much as we can, writing stuff.  Sure by the time we get to the end of this, we’ll be itching to play those songs live, so you know, but until then we’re still excited. I mean, that was our first in Australia, there were a few people singing along, but maybe this time there’ll be even more, so we’re still really excited playing them!

Nice! Hollow Crown seems to have really exposed international audiences to Architects, do you feel that it’s because of all the touring you’ve done or that Hollow Crown maybe has a different appeal to it, in comparison to your first two records?

Umm, I think it’s a bit of both really. It’s just, it’s definitely important for us to tour as much as we’ve done this year, to get that record out to people, if you know what I mean. We’re all so proud of the record that we just wanted everybody to hear it, and I think, definitely yeah, I agree with you, it has all the stuff...I think, all that stuff that’s on Hollow Crown was always there on the first two records, but we were just a bit scared to put it out there. But I think now we have, we’re gonna keep going in that direction and yeah I think it did pull a lot of our fans especially in the UK, I mean our band is so much more popular since that record came out. We’re just going to keep going ahead till it happens world-wide. I definitely think that touring has a big part of as well. If you want people to like your band, the best way to do it come to their town, play for them, meet them, hang out with them. It’s such an important thing to do, is just keep in fucking workin’ until the shows just start getting bigger.

What sort of bands do you call on for influence when you’re writing songs and when you perform? Is there a difference between the two?

From the UK? Or...

From anywhere!

I think ahh, we listen to a bunch of stuff. I mean, right now all of us are really excited about that 30 Seconds to Mars record that just came out. Which is a bit weird, like I never thought I’d be saying that but I, we are really excited about it. Ahh, and then we love Coldplay. Obviously a British band. Thrice, we like loads of stuff, especially now, we don’t listen to as much heavy music as we used to but then again there a lot of bands, like this band called Lower Then Atlantis, and Your Demise, they’re form our town. There’s a lot of good music in the UK, but mainly we just listen to everything else!

I know when Architects started up it sort of went through various incarnations, when you first started playing in a band, was singing something that you wanted to do or was it the position you sort of fell into, because I know you also play drums, can’t you?

Yeah, I used to play in a couple of band, but I never sang before. I’d just done a couple of bit, here and there for people, like just for fun really. I remember our bass player Ali now came down to my work, we used to work on the same street, and he just came down and was like ‘Hey man, our singers left, do you wanna try out?’ and I was like ‘Have you asked anyone else?’ he’s like ‘No’, ‘Fuck yeah, I’d love to give that one a try’, and we just did it, and I went to the practice and it was absolutely petrifying, and I was terrified, but I somehow managed to get through and here we are, three years later still doin’ it so, yeah. Drumming was my original choice, like I’ve been in love with drums since I can’t even remember. But,  just when things start taking off, you know I really enjoy singing now, at the start I just wanted to be playing drums but...i’ve kinda had to let that go!

Being a younger metal band, do you feel a lot of pressure to try and prove yourself to hardcore metal audience that you might find yourself playing in front of sometimes?

I don’t think there’s many band, especially in England, in the style that we’re playing travel as much as we have or toured as much as we have so there’s a definite weight on our shoulders, especially for our age. Maybe not so anymore, and I think we used to feel kind of like we have to impress people, but now we just play music that we enjoy, we want everyone else to enjoy it, and there’s not so much the pressure that ‘ahh people don’t like it here’ or ‘people don’t like it here’, it’s like we’re going to keep coming there we’re just going to keep playing until we can convince people that we are a good band, you know.

Speaking of touring, a couple of months ago you did another tour of the states, with Every Time I Die; in the past you’ve said that America is a pretty difficult place to tour, how did you find it the second time around?

It was completely different. The first time we went there is was just fucking... it was horrible, horrible tour. Like, we lost a bunch of money, and no one cared about us because we were on the wrong tour. Touring with Every Time I Die, on the same tour [2009 Epitaph Records] which was awesome. Like we were on second, like there was loads of people in the room to hear us. The way I see it is if you like Every Time I Die and you like Bring Me The Horizon, if you see Architects, you’re at least kinda going to like it. We were on the right tour this time and we got to play to a bunch of kids that we were extreamly lucky to play to, it was just great. Like everyone on that tour was so nice, like every kid I met was like ‘ohh we love you band’, it’s like ‘where the hell have you come from!?’ you know, It was just amazing, people were singing along and stuff that we wouldn’t have expected of that country, but they reached out to us that time.

What made it so difficult the first time around? Unusual bill?

Yeah, it’s just we were on tour with...the whole package was really heavy and we weren’t heavy at all. It was just a disaster. It’s changed now so...America is definitely something we still need to work out but it was like we had actually come away knowing we’d done good this time.

Back in August you did your first tour here with Parkway Drive; how was that whole experience?

That was absolutely stupid! I can’t believe we were on that tour. Like, those guys are the best for doing that to us. Like, walking out in stage in Brisbane the first night, I was like ‘Holy shit’, there’s 6,000 people here, and it was just one show, it wasn’t even a festival, I couldn’t believe it. But we were just so lucky to be on that tour, playing to loads of people, it was ridiculous and every kid that came to the show, Thank you so much, like everyone ruled. They’re such a nice band, they’d come up and talk to us. It was just ridiculous, probably; I’d go out there and say it was one of our favourite tours. Everyone on that tour was such a sweetheart to us.

Yeah, I heard the Brisbane show was pretty huge, I heard it was a pretty impressive night.

It was the biggest metal show I have ever seen in my life, which is ridiculous.

Well, you’re coming out early next year for Soundwave, have you seen the line-up at all?

Yeah, it’s absolutely stupid!  It looks bogus! Haha!

Is there anyone you’re particularly excited to see?

Ahhh Glassjaw, I can’t wait to see Glassjaw...Isis, all the bands from the UK as well, like Gallows, Rolo Tomassi...

Yeah, I’m excited to catch Gallows...

You Me At Six, actually. We never really ever get to tour with them ‘cause we’re a heavy band and they’re kinda like a pop/punky kinda band, so it’s cool to get to hang out with them, and see them for one which will be awesome.

Second-time around, is there anything you particularly want to do while you’re out here? Any sight-seeing?

We did so much last time but we’re just gonna do it all again!

I’ve seen that amazing photograph of you, underneath the Harbour Bridge, that’s a great photo.

That was done by James Hartley, I dunno if you’ve heard of him or anything but he is a fucking brilliant photographer. Everyone should check him out. He has a blog,if you could put this in, it’s
HARTLEYPHOTO, check it out, he’s amazing. He does a bunch of stuff with Parkway, a bunch of Break Even, and bunch of other bands, which is awesome.

In 2010, aside from Architects, what is a band that we should be on the lookout for?

Ahhh, I think a band called Sights and Sounds, which is the singer of Comeback Kid’s new band, they’re incredible. Umm, Burning Empires, you should check Burning Empires out, they’re actually coming on tour with the Amity Affliction in January I think, in Australia, but you should definitely check them out. It’s members from Misery Signals and Fall Out Boy, so definitely not one to miss. And our friends band, Lower Than Atlantis. You should check them out as well, they’ve got a new record coming out soon, which will be good.

Nice! Well, last question; in the future, what direction can we expect Architects to take? Will there be more touring throughout, or will you be focusing more on new material?

Umm, well right now we’re writing, on tour we have Soundwave, and then we have A Day To Remember, and then we’re kind of sorting...actually I don’t know if anything is going to happen after that...i don’t know...we’re trying to sort something in Europe, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. But after that we have...we’re just gonna write. We’re going to record, and then we finish recording and when it’s all going, and we’ll be running around like maniacs!

Excellent! Well thank you very much, I really appreciate it!

No worries, it was awesome.

See you in February!

In February, take it easy!