The Amazons at Roundhouse

The Roundhouse is iconic: its rafters have hosted some of the world’s most acclaimed artists. It’s the perfect setting for a big, loud band with a high-octane set, and last night The Amazons certainly brought the noise. 

Capping off the end of their UK tour, the Reading four-piece bounded onto the stage to play through a set of their greatest hits. They roared from song to song, maintaining an entertaining stage presence and bringing heaps of crowd interaction – which was certainly appreciated, as the packed auditorium gleefully sang and cheered along. It was easy to see that people are fully appreciating the return to normal gigging procedures in a post-Covid world.

Setting the stage wonderfully, opening act Aziya brought similarly elevated levels of energy, captivating her audience and displaying the talent that she already is – this, despite her relatively short career so far. She even played an entertainingly rocky cover of Grimes’s Oblivion, which the crowd met with adulation. As Amazons’ lead singer Matt Thompson said just before the encore, Aziya is a superstar in the making. 

The pace and vigour of the evening was sometimes broken up with quieter tracks, moments of acoustic reflection completed by heartbreak ballads. These were certainly welcome; even though The Amazons’ music certainly suits a live rock show, many of their tracks blended into a homogenous mix of somewhat-outdated indie-riff anthems and predictable lyrics.

But that’s not to say that they weren’t entertaining and, judging from the number of mosh pits that appeared and subsequently spontaneously combusted during the gig, The Amazons were holding the fans in the palm of their hand. This was particularly true during closing track Black Magic, where the repeated choruses and crescendoing instrumentation eventually drove the raptured crowd into a frenzied, swaying scrum. 

It was a great way to end the performance, and showed that live music is almost always something to appreciate, even if the band isn’t necessarily breaking new ground. 

Joe Milo
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit The Amazons’s website here.

Watch the video for the single How Will I Know here: