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Shortly after coming off a tour supporting Catch Your Breath, rising hard rock band Archers announced their own headlining tour for this summer, the “Temporary High” Tour. The month-long tour, which is named after their newest EP Temporary High, began the first week of July and will hit most major cities across the U.S. On July 11, Archers visited Philadelphia’s intimate venue The Foundry. Fans enthusiastically welcomed Archers back into the city as they performed an exciting 13-track set spanning their discography, making it an unforgettable night.
At 7pm, the lights began to dim for the first time that night as Baltimore-based metalcore band Dead Eyes took the stage. With a seamless blend of catchy melodies and headbanging breakdowns, the band immediately had the fans hooked, ramping the energy up within the room. Vocalist Zach Williams would quickly switch from melodic choruses to brutal screams, showcasing his versatile vocal talent. Dead Eyes’ stage presence was also a major factor in becoming a quick audience favorite, with each member of the band exhibiting immense energy. Zach even brought his sister Lindsey and his brother-in-law on stage to sing “Relapse”, the title track of the band’s newest EP, creating a standout moment of the set. Towards the end of the set, Zach thanked Archers for believing in the band and bringing them out on tour. Despite the band being new to many people in the room, it is safe to say that the crowd all left as fans of Dead Eyes.
DEAD EYES: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
The second opener to perform was Of Virtue, a rising Michigan-based metalcore band. With dynamic vocals from dual vocalists Tyler Ennis and Damon Austen Tate, intense breakdowns, and electrifying riffs, it did not take long for the pit to open up. A wall of death even ensued during the middle of their set, with a person wearing a cowboy hat leading the charge; Damon even commented “Follow the one in the cowboy hat!”. The band was highly interactive with the crowd throughout the set, getting the audience to light up the room with their flashlights during the third song “Cold Blooded”, and towards the end of their set, Tyler even went into the middle of the pit to perform. Of Virtue’s set ended with a bang as they performed their hit song “Cut Me Open” while the crowd moshed until the final note.
OF VIRTUE: Website | Facebook | Instagram | X
The third and final opener to take the stage was alternative pop-rock duo Rivals. As the room went dark, drummer Josh Alves began the set with a thunderous drum solo before singer Kalie Wolfe jumped on stage, who immediately took the Foundry by storm leading with the biting, self-confident anthem “Nobody Loves Me”. The band then played some newer songs from their upcoming EP, Medusa’s Home, including an unreleased track titled “Talkin’” and the EP’s title track that released that same night. The support from Rivals’ passionate fans in the crowd was palpable, filling the room with cheers and bursting with energy throughout the set. Kalie and Josh’s electric stage presence even encouraged newcomers to sing and mosh alongside the longtime fans. The band closed with their hit song “Alkaline”, in which Kalie joined the crowd in the pit, creating a memorable ending to their set.
RIVALS: Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | YouTube
At around 9:30, the lights dimmed for the final time that night as the crowd cheered, anticipating Archers’ arrival. The band shortly walked onto the stage and kicked off the set with the track “Never Enough” from their newest EP, which instantly invigorated the fans, singing along to every note. Frontman Nathanael Pulley hooked the audience with his dynamic vocals, and bassist Oscar Porter provided powerful screams and cleans alongside him, in addition to punchy basslines. Along with captivating riffs from guitarist Ben Koehler and spirited rhythms from drummer Grayson Mesarosh, the bursting enthusiasm within the venue never wavered once throughout the night.
Archers started off with several newer songs, mostly from the Temporary High EP, and then went into slightly older songs like “Making Eyes” and “Composure” from their 2020 EP New Normal. It was during this time that the first crowdsurfer of the night made their way through the room, escalating the already intense energy within the audience. The band then slowed things down for a bit with an acoustic song, but the crowd was still fully immersed within the performance as they lit up their phone flashlights and sang along to the point their voices were almost as loud as Nathanael’s. Within such a small venue as the Foundry, this moment of crowd participation was even more special since it created such a feeling of togetherness, and is a major reason why so many fans love small, intimate shows. Right after, Archers kicked things back up again with the heavy-hitting “Drag Me Out” from their 2024 EP All That I Have Left. The band even brought out Dead Eyes vocalist Zach Williams to perform alongside them, and his brutal vocals effectively helped intensify the crowd’s energy after a slower acoustic track.
Archers then performed their hit song “Say This Sober”, which saw the most crowdsurfers of the night. Fans were surfing one after the other as the band played the catchy alt-rock track. About two songs later, the band walked off the stage as fans chanted “One more song!”. As anticipation kept building and the fans kept demanding an encore, the band returned to the stage as the crowd welcomed them back with cheers filling the room. Before the band continued on with their encore, Nathanael announced that it was their friend and media person Trevor’s birthday, then brought him on stage and offered him a cake. Everyone sang Trevor “Happy Birthday” as the band gave him his cake. After the birthday festivities, Archers performed their 2021 track “Blanket Fort” and closed out with the fan-favorite “Bitter”. As the night came to an end, Nathanael told the audience that after every show, the band takes a group picture with the crowd. The band got in position for the picture and told the crowd to yell “hot moms”, and the show officially concluded. With their captivating stage presence and unwavering energy, Archers delivered another unforgettable show for Philadelphian fans.
