The Amazons | Queen's Hall, Edinburgh | 09/12/23 (Live Review)

The boots are back. So are the flashy suits. This feels like a band re-born, the last gang in town had a shake-up and came out sexier than ever.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

After a Summer of festivals, including a momentous return to Reading & Leeds on the main stage, indie rock quartet The Amazons are back on the road. This time exploring cities and venues they’ve ‘not been for far too long’.

The Amazons, known for their liberating stadium-rock sound, are Matt (frontman), Chris (guitarist), Elliot (bass) and George (drums, session).

December’s tour featured 11 dates across Brighton, Exeter, Cardiff, Cambridge, Norwich, Coventry, Edinburgh, Hull, Liverpool, Sheffield and Reading. Most of which haven’t been visited since 2017.

We headed up to Edinburgh to watch their triumphant return.

Suited and booted once more, there’s a certain swagger about The Zons. That darker rockstar aurora feels tangible.

Kicking off the evening with the unrelenting Ready For Something, Queen’s Hall was immediately christened a rock show. This would be a night of killer rock n’ roll.

The melodic 25 and indie-cult favourite Stay With Me followed. Frontman Matt exclaims ‘it’s been way too f**king long Edinburgh, 6 long years, tonight we’ll ask for your forgiveness.’

Early track In My Mind with its striking, unafraid guitar riff shook the room like never before. An extended solo was even thrown in to seal the deal.

Night After Night, the biggest indication of the fourth album, also made its way onto the setlist. Darker, grittier and cool as f**k, what’s to come will be a combination of everything so far. When asked during the Soundcheck, Matt explains the new direction stems from ‘playing shows again, and then writing in a room with the boys’.

Other highlights included deep-cut Dark Visions and a glorious guitar outro on Georgia which saw Matt and Chris take centre stage.

The show’s penultimate track was a joyous re-imagining of Junk Food Forever. It features support-band Swim School, after a few swigs of something conspicuous. They’re a lovely bunch of Edinburgh natives who The Amazons have enjoyed touring with.

Queen’s Hall felt like one big party – the icing on the cake being the monstrous rock anthem Black Magic. A track that never fails to blow the roof off venues, open up mosh pits and see beers flying.

While the previous two tracks usually end shows for The Amazons, this ‘wipe the slate clean’ tour sees Mother and Fuzzy Tree takeover. Both are openers on Future Dust, hinting to what we can expect next year.

Mother features a new segment that finds inspiration from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Hendrix. One that’s been road-tested over the Summer, and should have a studio version. After a mesmerising guitar solo, the track thrusts back into the main riff for a final conclusion.

Fuzzy Tree has a similar treatment, the energetic frenzy empowering the crowd. Also receiving new additions to spice things up, it saw Matt play from the barrier, while Chris and Elliot strutted around the stage.

:: Round-Up ::

The Amazons’ return to Edinburgh after 6 long years was nothing other than triumphant. It’s no wonder they said ‘it’s the best show of the tour’.

The boots are back. So are the flashy suits. This feels like a band re-born, the last gang in town had a shake-up and came out sexier than ever.

Diving into an entire catalogue, including deep cuts, reimagining fan-favourites and throwing in a new track. What’s not to love?

The Zons may have never left – but they have undergone significant change over the last 12 months after drummer Joe departed the band. Wherever the next step in their journey lies, one thing is certain. It’s going to be exciting.

See full setlist on Setlist.fm. Were you at the show? Check out our Insta and TikTok for videos, or share your own with us.