“Do not ever give up on your fucking dreams,” urges Sara Taylor from openers Youth Code, who’s graduated from an inmate of the 1998 ‘Korn Kage’ (their own, prison-style, version of Metallica‘s Snakepit) to being onstage with them under her own steam. The LA duo fuse cinematic, sweeping synths (For I Am Cursed) with industrial beats you could work out to (I’m Sorry), while Sara’s screeches add an onslaught of risk to their set. Equal parts thankful and up-for-it, they take command of this concrete colosseum with ease.
For Brighton legends Architects, the place is packed, more so than their own headlining turn here in 2022. After sharing online how endless discourse around his voice has impacted his mental health, Sam Carter’s commitment to scream with “passion and determination” shines through with vitality as the Brighton titans power up Whiplash and Curse with hectic lights.
“To anyone in this room that is struggling: hold on, keep fighting,” Sam pleads before Everything Ends. Sticking Doomsday and Animals in the middle of the set makes both quintessential numbers feel like business as usual. A choral intro turns Machine’s UK debut into pure theatre, while Sam’s visible gratitude doesn’t stop him toying with the crowd. “I’m gonna need to see some serious fucking push-mosh.” He gets it, too.