Architects Guitarist Adam Christianson Apologizes After Drawing Backlash For Controversial Social Media Repost (Updated)

Update: January 20th, 2024 10:45am:

Controversial political commentator Tim Pool has since voiced support for Architects in light of the retweet controversy:

Architects guitarist/vocalist Adam Christianson has found himself in some hot water lately. Christianson upset a number of fans online this week by reposting a controversial post shared by political commentator Tim Pool of a video featuring politically outspoken MMA fighter Sean Strickland. Strickland has become a polarizing figure in recent years, with a vocal contingent having decried some his views as being misogynistic, anti-trans and conspiracy based.

Christianson went on to delete the repost, claiming it was a mistake. He offered:

His bandmate, drummer Dan Searle commented directly to Christianson in a since-deleted post:

However, social media users were quick to point out several other past posts on X liked by Christianson that shared somewhat similar views and divisive stances taken towards trans identity and other issues.

Architects haven’t exactly strayed from politics or their stance on ‘right’ or ‘left’ issues over the years. Back in 2017 they shared the following while advocating UK residents to vote for British politician Jeremy Corbyn:

“There are people that insist that bands don’t voice a political opinion, probably because they find it disappointing when the bands that they love hold differing beliefs to their own. However its hard not to notice that musicians, and artists in general, fairly unanimously stand to the ‘left’ of the political spectrum. Really, ‘left’ or ‘right’ doesn’t matter. It’s about looking inside yourself and choosing what YOU stand for and what YOU represent.

Read the manifestos and decide for yourself. What are your core beliefs? Bands often don’t like expressing political beliefs because it alienates a section of their fanbase, and ultimately the source of their income – the people that pay their bills. I understand this. It’s undeniably bad for business. However, Its been a long time since the UK had a Labour leader that held TRULY liberal values. Someone who truly cares about NORMAL people.

Mostly we’ve seen this slightly-left-of-centre-but-ultimately-still-beholden-to-corporations-and-Rupert-Murdoch crap. Don’t listen to the news. Don’t listen to newspapers. They have a stake in things staying the same. They are not impartial. Either today or tomorrow, PLEASE register to vote. It is the younger generations, that can make the difference. And it is the younger generations that stand to pay the price should our government continue to advocate for the rich instead of you or I.

So, I am sorry if our band taking a political stance upsets you, but we deem that a necessary sacrifice. The stakes are high. If you want to represent principles of compassion and empathy and if you want to support the vulnerable in our society…”

In a move that may not have been coincidental, last night also saw Garrett Russell, vocalist of Silent Planet, weigh in on the same tweet/video which Christianson claims to have accidentally shared, offering: