The Amazons
Reading indie quartet The Amazons made their mainstream breakthrough this year, releasing their self-titled debut in May. A number of high-profile festival slots including Reading and Glastonbury gained them further exposure. With a sound akin to Catfish and the Bottlemen and Arctic Monkeys, my opinion of the band has been uncertain since they first crossed my radar nearly two years ago. But packing The Waterfront to bursting for the first show of their headline album tour, I was fully won over by the end of the night.
Sole support The Pale White are a disappointing opener. The Newcastle power trio do volume very well, but their Kasabian/Slaves/White Stripes pastiche rock numbers are repetitive, and crassly unrefined. Vocalist Adam has zero charisma, asking “Norwich, are you with us?” Sorry mate, doesn’t look like it.
The mood picks up for The Amazons. It’s a surprise when a rowdy pit erupts at the first note of Ultraviolet, given the band haven’t visited here in a long time. “The last time we played Norwich it was upstairs to about 30 people”, frontman Matt Thomas declares early on. “So it means a lot that you’re all here”.
The bangers come thick and fast, energy levels remaining at maximum. Stay With Me has a near perfect chorus and rightfully earns a passionate sing-along, while Raindrops’ Maccabean intro burns slow to start with, before exploding into an absolute riff-fuelled frenzy. “How ya feeelin?” goads Thomas, peering out from behind his lush, orange mane. A perfect balance of confident and coy, he nails it when it comes to riling up his audience. “This is the biggest ever headline show The Amazons have ever played”, he announces, laughing “I’m sorry to say the record will be broken in Sheffield tomorrow!”
Despite the size of The Amazons’ sound, there are lulls. Holy Roller is a mid-tempo, mid-pitch slice of boring, and there are sections throughout that definitely drone on a bit. Nonetheless, Black Magic, with its crunchy riffs and slick, Killers-esque delivery is a highlight. After Palace (the token slow one) Junk Food Forever closes the show in a brawl of testosterone and good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll swagger.
The Amazons are far from the most progressive act on the UK live circuit, nor are they the most original. But if you want a band who’ll get you thoroughly fired up on a Monday night, look no further.
