Rough, Red and Raw | Architects of Sound
Architects of Sound are lyrical hilarity meets physical comedy, backed by phat beats and with the energy of that rave rat who got into Berghain one time in 2016 and hasn’t shut up about it since.
As an Architects first timer, I didn’t know what to expect, and there was no way I could prepare myself for the roughness, redness and rawness of this showcase of their newest future club hits. But it didn’t take me long to warm to their brand of infectious trashy electro pop with strong Peaches vibes and several subtle and not-so-subtle nods to queer culture throughout.
Image: Morgan Roberts
The room was already abuzz with energy before the show started, with DJ Sutro spinning discs and setting the scene for a night full of hard bops. It was immediately apparent that these are a well-loved group with a lot of fans in the house.
Our three protagonists Sutro (Sampson Smith), Valencia (David Stewart) and Amaro (Sarah Stafford) make it clear from the outset that they are not musicians. How very dare you. As architects of sound, they’re far more important, far more conceptually insightful and artistically refined, percipient guardians of the zeitgeist. They are a whole new level of artiste, and we mere mortals cannot possibly comprehend their brilliance. With a certain vivacity, an ironic holier-than-thou attitude and so much lycra, the group expertly poke fun at influencer culture. In fact, I was just thinking to myself how brilliantly they embodied the wankiness so often found in the art world when they revealed the title of their latest album: “Art Fap”. Perfect.
Every word spoken through the rounded vowels of a cultivated Australian accent exudes an air of superiority and inflated self-importance. Architects of Sound are proof that it’s all about attitude. They know they’re the best and lucky for us plebs, we were so privileged on this occasion to bear witness to an informal Q&A mid-show, only every question was scripted, and genuine questions were completely ignored. It was bombastically hilarious.
Image: Morgan Roberts
But the life of a self-proclaimed musical revolutionary is not all glamour and shining lights. Oh no. Sometimes it’s Gout. And yet, they somehow still make that HOT. Other bangers in their list of “under-rehearsed”, “exclusive first drafts” included Flop Era, The Gay is Here to Stay and my personal favourite, Butch Island about a futuristic lesbian retirement village in outer space. They had everyone giggling, hooting and guffawing from start to finish, and I have no doubt the crowd would have screamed for a 2nd, 3rd and 4th encore if they could have. The audience were absolutely there for it. They were eating. it. up. And I heard many a complaint of sore cheeks on leaving the theatre.
I don’t often go to sit-down concerts and so I thought I would find myself shifting in my chair at some point during the 60 minutes, but I found myself pleasantly surprised and not once did the energy fall flat nor did I feel like I needed to be somewhere else. There was plenty of audience participation and enough variety in segments to break up the show and keep us intrigued, somewhat aroused and mildly afraid of what was to come next. The work was hardly polished, and that’s part of its charm. Raw as advertised. I love a good dose of silliness, and Rough, Red and Raw did not disappoint. It’s more than a music show; it’s performance art.
Trashy, chaotic, electronic and lesbionic. I loved it. Architects of Sound, can I join your lesbian retirement village in space? Please?
Image: Morgan Roberts
