Having announced their third album How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? last week The Amazons, who are supporting Royal Blood on their Typhoons tour, came to the Utilita Arena in Birmingham. The Amazons are one of my favourite bands and have always been regarded as a perfect band to play arenas so it was exciting to see them have the opportunity.

When the band walked on stage front man Matt Thomson screamed ‘BIRMINGHAM!’ to cheers from the crowd. They opened with ‘In My Mind’ from their 2017 self-titled debut. The track’s huge riff and technical vocals brought energy and excitement straight away making it a great opener. The excellent musicianship of all four of them was evident right from the start especially in their falsetto backing vocals and lead guitarist Chris Alderton’s solo.

he excellent musicianship of all four of them was evident right from the start

Next they played their new single ‘Bloodrush’ which it was obvious some members of the crowd already knew. The song’s big chorus and passionate lyrics really leant itself to the scale of the crowd and the venue and was one of the many indicators that The Amazons were completely at home in the setting.

The same could be said about their performance of ‘Mother,’ the lead single from their 2019 album Future Dust. Opened and driven by Joe Emmett’s thunderous drumming, the track’s massive, heavy sound and vocals that filled the arena made it one of the most spectacular moments of the night.

‘Ready For Something,’ another song from their upcoming album which they played next was similarly as exhilarating. It combined a great main riff using pull-offs and hammer-ons like on ‘In My Mind’ with the power of ‘Mother’ and made me really excited for the release of How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? and their tour of the UK and Ireland in the autumn. The song also had some of the best examples of Thomson’s impressive vocals in the show, especially in chorus which greatly varied in pitch.

‘Doubt It’ was another popular track with the crowd which entertained them with another massive chorus and again had pitch perfect backing vocals. The longer version they played had lots of moments that showed off their skill as a band and it was made even better by the inclusion of lyrics from ‘In My Time of Dying’ by Led Zeppelin which they have added to the song in the past.

Another new song which The Amazons played ‘There’s A Light’ featured another bass instead of a lead guitar which created an interesting effect and sounded great. This part of the performance felt very special as the lyrics like ‘I believe there’s a light at the end of the dark’ resonated with the packed crowd given that concerts, especially ones of this size, had not been possible for so long and everyone was having an amazing time.

It was a particular fan favourite and the crowd could be heard singing along

One of the highlights of the night was Matt Thomson’s solo performance of ‘My Hero’ by the Foo Fighters in tribute to their drummer Taylor Hawkins who tragically passed away the day before. The crowd could be heard and seen on the screen singing every word which created a real sense of togetherness and collective emotion. Even though some of them were not familiar with The Amazons it was obvious that everyone really appreciated and enjoyed the tribute. Overall, it was a very powerful and poignant moment.

The Amazons’ final song was ‘Black Magic.’ It was a particular fan favourite and the crowd could be heard singing along with the riff and the words throughout, especially in the chorus. The performance was full of excitement and the guitar and drum solos made an electrifying ending to the set.

Overall, The Amazons gave a fantastic performance. Their massive rock songs were perfect for the huge arena and to excite the crowd. Their excellent musicianship was put on full display and the chemistry between the band members was obvious to see. In between songs frontman Matt Thomson was fun and personal, getting the crowd going and talking to them about The Amazons’ first show in Birmingham at The Sunflower Lounge. The tribute to Taylor Hawkins made the show and the atmosphere even better and clearly touched everyone in the room. The Amazons were easily good enough to be the headline act and witnessing them perform in such a great setting was an amazing experience.

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