From the infectious buzz emanating from the Dr Martens-clad crowd, I could tell something special was brewing in The Leadmill; and The Amazons didn’t disappoint, slicing seamlessly through their nouveau-indie catalogue.
Frontman Matt Thompson, whipping his flamed hair (and fans) into a frenzy, had slight murmurings of Kurt Cobain about him. It wasn’t just his outfit that smelled of teen spirit: the band’s vocal arrangement and hard-hitting riffs were also reminiscent of the grunge era.
The band are scheduled to hit the likes of Vienna and Hollywood following their sell-out headline show in Sheffield, and if tonight was anything to go by, they’ll have no problem animating crowds overseas. The faithful Amazons tribe was out in force last night, and when melodic anthems such as ‘Black Magic’ were played the roof was raised. There’s still relatively little info readily available about the Reading based four-piece, but with accolades such as the BBC’s ‘Sound of 2017’ and storming gigs at Glasto and Leeds Festival under their belt, as well as their place on MTV’s ‘Brand New 2017’ list, it is not surprising that they are being tipped as ones to watch by practically every music outlet going.
There was no sign of world-travelled weariness as the band began their rousing indie rock, slowing the pace only to deliver ‘Free Fallin’ as a moving tribute to Tom Petty. By the encore, the crowd were baying for their debut single. They duly obliged and I couldn’t help but feel I had gained two stone as I joined the masses; swaying whilst extolling the virtues of ‘Junk Food Forever’.
READ: The Amazons: “Rock and Roll isn’t a very sexy genre anymore”
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Images: Brendan Clayton photography
