Glenn Connelly / Photo Editor

The United Kingdom has churned out some memorable musicians. From the smooth rock “n’ roll of The Beatles in the “60s to the piano-driven sounds of Coldplay at the cusp of the new millennium, the small cluster of water-logged land has provided the world with some serious auditory pleasure.

The year 2004 marked the introduction of two additional noteworthy British bands, a pair that rocked up with an entirely heavier and less contemporary sound, yet nonetheless made a mark on the world of music.

Last Friday, San Diego fans of Bring Me The Horizon and Architects got the chance to see these two metal-makers at one of the city’s legendary live music venues, Soma, when the two rolled through as a part of the Epitaph Tour 2009, with headliner Every Time I Die, and support from Oh, Sleepers.

The strikingly similar bands stopped to chat with The Daily Aztec, answering a few questions and proving that, despite their shared homeland, friendship and similar music genre, their responses are as unique as their personalities.

Bring Me The Horizon
The Daily Aztec: So, who are you guys?

Oliver Sykes: My name is Oliver and I sing.
Matt Kean: My name is Matt and I play bass.

DA: As far as listeners who’ve never heard your sound, how would you describe it?

OS: Uh, sexual.
MK: It’s like Barry White, crossed with Stevie Wonder.
OS: Mixed with a bit of Cannibal Corpse.

DA: What’s the hardest thing about touring?
OS: Having to put up with our drummer’s bad smells. He stinks.

DA: … So, finish this sentence for me … If I wasn’t in Bring Me The Horizon, I would be …

OS: I’d just be a man.
MK: Um, on the dole. It means, like, on benefits. So …
OS: Council. No, government benefits.
DA: Like welfare?
MK / OS: Yeah.

Architects
The Daily Aztec: What do you guys do in the Architects?
Tom Searle: Sam plays the vocals.
Sam Carter: And Tom plays guitar.

DA: For first-time listeners, can you explain your sound?
TS: It’s a hard-rock sound. No, I don’t know. Sam?
SC: Uh …
TS: It’s edgy. Very edgy.
SC: I guess it’s kind of like …
TS: It’s got grit.
SC: It’s metal but I guess it’s not typical standards.
TS: It’s not (makes a breathy groaning noise). So it’s metal without that bit. (Makes noise again.)

DA: So, what’s the hardest thing about being in a band …?
TS: Um … what is the worst thing? My hands are all dirty and I’ve got all spotty this tour. I think I’m not washing my hair enough because, and that’s been getting grease and I get bad skin.
SC: That, and not washing a lot, sleeping in vans.
TS: I miss my mum.
SC: I miss my girlfriend. There’s nothing really that bad.

DA: So, finish the sentence for me, if I weren’t in Architects I would be … or be doing?
SC: Nothing, I would be doing nothing.
TS: I would be at university.

DA: Really?
TS: I’d hope so. (laughs)
SC: I’d probably be a trash man.
TS: Sam would be a trash man and one day maybe he can come live in my basement. I’ll pick him up off the street one day.
SC: I would be homeless. Pretty much.
TS: You’d be an orphan wouldn’t you? (laughs)

For more from the interviews with BMTH and Architects, as well as an exclusive video, visit www.thedailyaztec.com.