Architects guitarist Josh Middleton has left the band

Architects have announced that guitarist Josh Middleton has left the band.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the band said that they “remain close friends” with Middleton, who joined the band in 2017 following the death of founding member Tom Searle.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce Josh’s time in the band has come to an end,” Architects wrote in their statement. “It has gradually become apparent that we need to go our separate ways, but we remain close friends.”

They added: “Josh was a life raft for the band after we lost Tom and he gave us a way to keep the band alive through the hardest experience or our lives. We will always be grateful to him for that.

“We wish him the best in his future endeavours and we suggest that everyone keeps an eye out for the new Sylosis record later this year.”

Earlier this year, Architects shared a statement after a heckler at a show in Adelaide on their Australian tour rushed the stage and attempted to assault Middleton.

According to several attendees on social media, the band were four songs into their set – performing ‘These Colours Don’t Run’ from 2012’s ‘Daybreaker’ album – when an unidentified man rushed the stage, made an attempt to physically attack Middleton and screamed obscenities into a microphone; he was reportedly “dragged out of the venue by four security guards” (per concertgoer Dani Brown) and thereafter handled by police.

Prior to the incident, the man was said to be loudly heckling singer Sam Carter, demanding that Architects perform older material out of “respect” for late guitarist Tom. Carter addressed this in a speech given after the man was removed: “To turn around and see someone fucking run onstage, and fucking run at Josh… And fucking grab the mic and start shouting whatever the fuck he was shouting – that is fucking insane.”