Ryan Burnett
Artist, Session Musician
Ryan is a highly accomplished touring musician who now plays as a live member of the world’s number one album-selling metalcore band, Architects. Performing on guitar, keyboards, percussion and backing vocals, Ryan has toured globally with the band, including headline arena shows at London’s O2 Arena and Manchester’s Co-op Live, as well as major stadium support tours with Metallica and Linkin Park. In 2026, Architects will headline Download Festival, marking a major career milestone. Alongside this, Ryan stepped in on guitar and vocal duties for metalcore heavyweights While She Sleeps on their 2025 US tour.
Ryan has previously performed on both sides of the Atlantic as frontman of The Crave, as a solo artist fronting his own band The Vanguards, and as lead guitarist for fellow BIMM Brighton graduates The Xcerts.
Ryan moved from Manchester to Brighton at the age of 17 to study Vocals at BIMM, courtesy of a scholarship awarded by Ronan Keating. After graduating, he continued his studies with a Higher Diploma in Songwriting, before forming The Crave with fellow BIMM students Carlos Garcia, Tom Swann and CJ Evans.
Photo: Ed Mason
The band signed to The Agency Group and were managed by Phil Nelson (The Levellers, Longpigs), releasing two albums and touring extensively across the UK and Europe alongside major acts including Shinedown, 3 Doors Down, Lifehouse, Buckcherry, Feeder and The Darkness. They also undertook an arena tour with Deep Purple, including two sold-out nights at London’s Hammersmith Apollo.
The Crave toured the United States on three occasions and became the only English band to perform at the Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary Show, sharing the stage with Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters. The band also appeared at major festivals including Rock am Ring, Download Festival, and Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth on two occasions.
Following a writing stint in Nashville in 2014, Ryan formed Ryan Burnett & The Vanguards with fellow BIMM graduates CJ Evans and Ben Johnsen, alongside former The Kooks / The Ordinary Boys bassist Dan Logan. The band signed to Metropolis Studios and released their debut single Killers.
Ryan also spent six months filming for the globally successful video game Guitar Hero Live, after being selected to play the frontman of one of the game’s virtual bands, Broken Tide. A trailer featuring Ryan was released ahead of the game’s launch and amassed over 7.5 million views on YouTube.
