Indie rockers The Amazons embark on their UK tour, following the release of their third album, How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? Paying a visit to Nottingham's Rock City, Jacob Edwards reviews a night to remember.
When The Mic Magazine’s president messaged the groupchat offering a spare ticket to The Amazons’ gig at Rock City, you would not believe how fast my fingers were typing to ask if I could take it. It just so happened that the Fruit Ninja training paid off; and so did the night itself.
You can always guarantee that any night at Rock City will be worth your time, more often than most in a positive manner, with this night being no exception. After our spot on the guest list was confirmed and we strode into the venue, I was initially somewhat sceptical. Although Cucamaras (a local Nottingham band, and a part of the BBC Introducing partnership that The Amazons have for their tour) were shredding harder than the office appliance, the audience response was distinctly lacking. At first, I unjustly pointed fingers towards the surprisingly older generation who made up the crowd, but as soon as The Amazons were about to step on stage and the room had filled, the atmosphere changed and the buzz could be felt all around. From the couple of songs that I caught from the support though, I must say the post-punk Cucamaras band has a lot to offer, and I look forward to seeing their career progress.
The time had come. The Amazons waltzed on, one by one, to their respective places on the stage, each consecutively adding their instrumental element to the band’s new album’s opener How Will I Know? thus amounting to a sublime intro of at least half a minute. Once Matt, the vocalist and lead guitarist, entered the equation, the song began and the entire place erupted. Matt and the gang remarked later upon the pure magic of the crowd’s ability to regurgitate the new album’s lyrics, in spite of having only recently been released. Pairing that magic with the consistent and ever-growing moshing amongst the crowd, it was quite the spectacle to behold, and I was entranced throughout.
As the set progressed, I shared in the emotional journey that the band had seemingly taken in order to reach this point of acclaim and elation. With tunes from across The Amazons’ ages like Ultraviolet, which was received very well, and slower songs such as Northern Star, which had everyone whipping out their phone torches and actual lighters (perhaps a fire safety concern) in unison, it was truly captivating, and the stage lighting managed to aptly match the meaning every moment. A personal highlight has to be the acoustic rendition of Nightdriving however, whereupon Joe on the drums was delegated the tambourine, and Joshua was handed the harmonica. It made for a powerful moment, lighthearted and full of friendship, as they all stood together as one at the edge of the stage and played their hearts out.
"Matt and the gang remarked later upon the pure magic of the crowd’s ability to regurgitate the new album’s lyrics, in spite of having only recently been released."
Naturally, the supposed ending of the night with Junk Food Forever was not the actual end, and the encore saw some of their heavier work, Bloodrush followed by Black Magic, manage to rile up the crowd more so than before. They ended with a bang, and their true talent as musicians flourished in these final moments, with riffs and solos that sustained longer than I have ever managed to jog, and the synchronisation made for the most satisfying end to the night.
As everyone clambered out of the concert, I felt overjoyed from the night’s escapades, and it seemed that I was not alone in my feelings.
Jacob Edwards
Edited by: Jodie Averis
Cover image courtesy of Billboard.
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