Photo by Jason Stoff. More on Flickr
“How the fuck are you St. Louis?” We’re great, Architects, thanks for asking. The opening act for Flogging Molly Wednesday at the Pageant was a four piece outfit from “down the road” Kansas City, and they definitely brought rock ‘n’ roll with them. Easy to handle, straightforward rock that your mother wouldn’t scour at. Oh – and they’re fast. It seems like it took less time for the Architects to play their first 3 songs than it took Jason (our photographer) to snap a shot. The Architects have two types of songs: “songs about drugs and songs about law enforcement.” Shortly after this mission statement, they broke in to “Bastards at the Gate,” an anti-establishment anthem, or song-type 2. The Architects’ high-energy set could not have been complete without an AC/DC cover. Lead guitarist Keenan Nichols channeled Angus Young in the solo of “Sin City” – somehow, he was smooth and clean all while being rough and dirty. The Architects put on a memorable show on Wednesday.
The Architects’ memorable set couldn’t have been a more appropriate way to set the stage for the party that is Flogging Molly. After the politically charged troubadour, Frank Turner, put on a beautiful, poetic set, it was Flogging Molly’s turn to spoon out doses of their Irish folk punk medicine. Flogging Molly took a while to set up – but understandablly so, when there are seven people in the band. The set was exactly what Flogging Molly is known for: fist-throwing, jig-dancing, banjo, mandolin, accordion-playing Irish music. They played for two-hours and covered most of the hits, but left time for some gems that I haven’t heard in a while. It was a perfect mix of mellow acoustic songs and heart pounding Irish music. They closed the set with “Seven Deadly Sins,” an ideal way to end the night and a perfect match for a Guinness.
