The Amazons at Roundhouse
What do 1840s steam engines and 21st-century UK artists have in common? At some point, quite a number of them have passed through the Roundhouse. For very different reasons, though, obviously.
But rather than go into the Roundhouse’s intriguing railway history, we’re here to watch Reading band The Amazons, who last played here in 2022 and are currently touring their fourth album, 21st Century Fiction.
It seems this chapter in their story has been something of a rollercoaster, as the band scrapped almost a whole album of work to create the one we have now, and they found themselves unsure of where to go next along the way. So let’s see what happens tonight.
Walking onstage swathed in red light, a synth-laden dramatic intro soundtracks The Amazons taking up positions before kicking things off with the intense Joe Brought a Gun. However, much like an engine in the 1840s, the set takes a while to build up steam. Sure, six members onstage provides plenty of noise – enthusiastically received by an ever-present, never-static band of fans in the middle – but the first few songs feel like they’re not quite there.
Frontman Matt Thomson does a solid job, but there’s a sense of wanting to get to the real crowd-pleasers. At this point, keyboardist Ella McRobb is drawing eyes towards her, with her statuesque frame on a riser upstage and giving every song her all.
Then, Thomson puts his guitar down, joins McRobb at the back and dedicates the piano-led All the Way to the support bands, Balancing Act and Overpass – slowing down and letting his vocals shine is a welcome change of pace, before he heads back down to the front and everyone else crashes in. At long last, the band hit their stride.
Half the musicians are playing guitars tonight, and best in show is lead guitarist Chris Alderton; there’s just the right amount of pizzazz in his solos, and he never overstays his welcome, demonstrated during Panic and the ginormous climax of Mother. Thomson has now relaxed and shows his rock ‘n’ roll credentials by conducting sing-alongs with ease and leading the group through multiple crashing outros.
“This has been one of our favourite fucking shows ever, thank you so much,” says Thomson during the encore, in which the biggest singalong of the night is found to be Junk Food Forever. The final two tracks aren’t far behind, though, with Ultraviolet and Black Magic strongly threatening to blow the roof off the venue.
No doubt fans were delighted with tonight’s set, but perhaps it could have benefitted from a more even pace; each number could have been given equal treatment, not just the heavy hitters. The Amazons demonstrated they do thunderous indie incredibly well, Thomson knows how to handle a crowd, and clearly, the band love what they do. Yet if they want the status of greatness they’re yearning for, there’s still some fine-tuning to do.
Gem Hurley
Photos: Mike Garnell
For further information and future events, visit The Amazons’s website here.
Watch the video for Junk Food Forever here:
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