The Amazons

The Amazons are praised for their role in helping to revive and revitalise the UK's late-'00s indie-rock scene. Formed in Reading in 2014, they channel a confident, riff-laden style reminiscent of bands such as Franz Ferdinand or The Arctic Monkeys and combine this with a touch of Nirvana-style '90s grunge to create powerful anthemic rock songs. In their early days, vocalist Matt Thompson worked for a large UK supermarket chain and would slip copies of the band's CD in with customers' online shopping orders. During their formative years, this grassroots approach to promotion was followed up by a punishing schedule of gigs that established the band on the UK live music scene. An appearance on the influential Later With... Jools Holland TV show plus a support slot on a European tour with The Kooks led to a deal with Fiction Records and the launch of their debut self-titled album in 2017. The LP, which featured a picture of the band's tour bus on the cover ablaze against a backdrop of Reading's semi-detached suburbia, was met with mixed opinions from critics but the prevailing opinion was that the band's distinctive, radio-friendly sound would guarantee airplay on mainstream rock radio. They continued to ingratiate themselves with the indie-loving festival crowds on their on their second album, Future Dust (2019), while at the same time evolving their sound to include psych and heavier rock influences. The Amazons' third album How Will I Know if Heaven Will Find Me? arrived three years later and saw the band orient their sound in a poppier direction, also incorporating indie-pop, jangle-pop and country touches. This pop-fronted effort secured the band a number five album in the UK and on the Scottish Albums Chart.