Architects frontman Sam Carter has revealed that he initially wanted guitarist Adam Christianson out of the band following the latter’s transphobic and homophobic controversy early last year.
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In January 2024, Christianson drew the ire of fans – and band members – after he reposted a video on X (formerly Twitter) originally by political commentator Tim Pool, who had quote-tweeted a video shared by American mixed martial arts professional Sean Strickland.
In the controversial video, Strickland spoke about a past post in which he said: “If I had a gay son I would think I failed as a man to create such weakness.” He also spoke about past anti-trans posts, adding: “10 years ago, to be trans was a mental fucking illness. And now, all of a sudden, people like you have fucking weaseled your way in the world. You are an infection. You are the definition of weakness. Everything that is wrong with the world is because of fucking you.”
Pool subsequently reposted the footage on X, calling Strickland a “fucking A+ guy” and hitting out at “the infection that is the woke left”. It was this message that Christianson reshared on his feed, but it has since been removed.
The musician later posted an apology, which read: “Shit! That retweet was a total accident!! I don’t endorse anything that guy says other than fuck Trudeau. Sorry for the panic everyone! Complete all-thumbs moment.”
However, despite the quick delete and apology, social media and fans at shows began turning on Christianson and the band as a whole. Speaking to The Guardian, frontman Sam Carter shared that upon first learning of the repost saga, he initially wanted the guitarist fired from the band.
“I was a mess. I was thinking: he has to go. And then he wakes up and we have a phone conversation,” Carter explained. “He’s my friend who picked me up off the floor when I was in bits crying about Tom; he’s a stepdad of two kids; he’s a saint. But you’ve drawn this picture up of him. [The internet] is such a fucking scary place.”
Drummer Dan Searle chimed in, weighing in on social media’s reaction: “They wanted Adam crucified in the street, with no job. Anything less than that would be an act of blatant transphobia.”
A couple of weeks later, Architects returned to the live stage and clarified their stance on the homophobia and transphobia. Addressing the Paris crowd, Carter said: “No one on this stage judges anybody for their gender, their race, and whoever they are in love with. We never have. We never will. That is not what this band stands for, and it is not what this band will ever stand for. We love every single one of you.”
In other news, Architects have recently announced a UK and European headline tour for 2025. The Brighton metalcore band will hit the road this autumn in support of their 11th and most recent album ‘The Sky, The Earth & All Between’, which was released last month (produced by former Bring Me The Horizon member Jordan Fish).
Tickets go on general sale at 10am GMT/11am CET this Friday (March 14) – you’ll be able to buy yours here (UK) and here (Europe). Alternatively, fans can access various pre-sales this week via Ticketmaster.
Architects’ autumn 2025 UK and European tour dates are:
OCTOBER
01 – Zenith – Munich, DE
03 – Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, DE
04 – Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Duesseldorf, DE
05 – Festhalle, Frankfurt, DE
07 – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, NL
08 – Barclay’s Arena, Hamburg, DE
10 – Co-op Live, Manchester, UK
11 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff, UK
12 – The O2, London, UK
Architects are scheduled to begin their spring 2025 European tour in Lille, France tonight (March 10). This summer, the group will open for Linkin Park at select dates of their European tour before heading to the US for a run of festivals.
Speaking to NME late last year, frontman Sam Carter explained: “Growing up, Linkin Park were hugely influential on me and my vocals. If you told me when I was 13 that I’d be doing stadiums with Metallica and Linkin Park, I would have never – in my wildest dreams – believed you.”
When asked about Architects’ live plans for 2025, drummer Dan Searle told NME that a UK tour was “certainly overdue”. He continued: “We’ve got a strange relationship with playing the UK, because we spend so much time touring abroad.
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