by Ashlyn Siples | July 20th , 2025

All images are from Archers’ - The Temporary High Tour Indianapolis, IN on 7/20/25.

If there’s one thing that’s always true about an Archers’ show in Indianapolis, it’s that it’s going to be hot. The past times that I’ve seen them headlining Indianapolis have always been on one of the hottest days of the year, but luckily, this past Sunday wasn’t quite as miserably hot as previous years, though it was still pretty toasty. But something else I’ve always known to be true about an Archers’ show is that the fans never let the heat slow them down, and this show was certainly no exception.

Dead Eyes kicked off our night, getting the energy in the room hyped up. They got the first mosh pit going rather quickly, and it was a large one at that, causing people who weren’t ready to partake in such activities to retreat to the sides of the room and give them some space. If you’re into modern rock/metal bands that fuse electronics into their work, they’re a group you’ll want to check out. I was excited to hear that one of my favorite songs of theirs, “Good Die Young,” made it onto the setlist that night, as well as “Seasons,” which was dedicated to Grayson, the drummer of Archers.

Next up was Of Virtue, a metalcore band hailing from Lansing, Michigan. If you happened to be at Inkcarceration last weekend, you would’ve had a chance to catch their set, and if you didn’t, then you definitely missed out. While the band said they couldn't encourage a wall of death like they normally do, since the poles in the center of the room made it more unsafe than usual, vocalist/guitarist Damon Tate instead encouraged the crowd to start jumping and make a wave of bodies “as big as the Pacific.” They’re a great band to get the crowd moving, with vocalist Tyler Ennis spending the entire set moving all over the stage, encouraging people to get off their feet and start moshing, and getting into the mosh pit himself during the last song.

It’s not the first time I’ve seen alt-rock duo Rivals before, and I have to admit that I was pretty excited to see them again. Their set did not disappoint, especially since vocalist Kalie Wolfe let us know we were in for a special treat - a full playthrough of their upcoming EP that’s out next month. Kalie knows how to work the stage, making sure you see the show’s made to make you pay attention to her - and she works the crowd great as well, considering that she split them down the middle to create a runway for herself during the closing song “Dark Matter.” But don’t worry, drummer Josh Alves gets his time to shine too, in a very cool solo/duo moment of him on the drum set and Kalie playing a modified electric drum pad-style instrument with tons of complementary, colorful flashing lights.

While Archers is technically from Wisconsin, they’ve always made it clear that Indianapolis is a secondary hometown show for them, especially thanks to the fact that their drummer, Grayson Mesarosh, grew up in our local music scene. I’ve had the chance to watch Archers grow into the band that’s rapidly blowing up ever since I randomly chose to go to their show at our local DIY venue, Hoosier Dome, on a night off from work. I’ve caught them a few more times since then, both at Hoosier Dome and opening for another band in Chicago, but Sunday’s show marked a special moment for them: their first time playing a much larger venue in Indianapolis - the 400-capacity Hi-Fi. And just to make it even more special, the band received news at the start of the show that they’d sold out the place.

Energy is never lacking when it comes to Archers, with the band bursting onstage as the music transitioned from their walk-on song, “Lips of an Angel,” into the namesake for the tour, “Never Enough.” Bassist Oscar Porter spent plenty of time interacting with the crowd, spraying them with water, hyping them up to get moving, and leaning his mic into the mix of people to get them to sing along louder. Of course, there were the slower moments too, with vocalist Nathanael Pulley bringing out his acoustic guitar for “Before You Go,” a song made extra special with the room singing the last chorus all on their own. The set was full of its surprises as well, with Dead Eyes vocalist Zach Williams popping out onstage for “Say This Sober,” a song that’s always seemed to be a trend for someone to come out and collab on.

Before the encore happened, Grayson came out and addressed the crowd, talking about how it’s been for him growing up in the scene and thanking his friends who helped him get to the point he was currently at with Archers (and also shouting out the previously mentioned Hoosier Dome, stating that “Dome is Home,” a sentiment that anyone who’s played there holds.) The encore started off with a deeper cut of their discography, “Blanket Fort,” which the band brought back to the setlist after how well received it was in Europe on their first tour playing there earlier this summer. The final song of the night was their biggest breakthrough single, “Bitter,” in which Of Virtue’s vocalist Tyler joined the band on stage for some of the vocals, as well as hyping up the crowd some more to end the night on an energetic note.

While the Temporary High tour has rapidly come to a close, I suggest you keep up with all of the bands on this tour. They’re all starting to pop off, and you’ll want to see them in smaller venues while you still can - it definitely won’t be staying that way forever.