While they may proudly herald from Reading, rock trio The Amazons’ thriving career has long been intertwined with our city too. From cutting their teeth in The Chameleon to sold out shows at Rock City, to even playing Motorpoint Arena with Royal Blood, they have spent the last decade making memories and building a strong fanbase right here in NG1. Now with shows at Rough Trade and Rock City coming up in the next six months, we decided to catch up with frontman Matt Thomson to discuss their longstanding romance with Nottingham…
I’ll never forget it. Ahead of my first Dot to Dot festival in 2015, I would scroll through the line-up for that year and listen to some of the unknown bands on YouTube, trying to whittle down which ones to catch on the day. I would come across a band called The Amazons, who only had one video uploaded – a song called Junk Food Forever. It was the kind of immediate anthem that struck a chord, with simple but relatable lyrics about friends going off to university and being left behind in your hometown. Little did I know at the time, but it would begin a love affair with a band that I would follow for the next decade and beyond, seeing them grow from promising unknowns to one of the country’s very best rock bands.
As it turns out, there is a loose connection between Junk Food Forever and Nottingham. You see when frontman and songwriter Matt Thomson’s friends went off to university, some landed at Nottingham Trent. He would spend 2013 and 2014 travelling up to Nottingham, living the university life vicariously through his friends and exploring our city. “We would be going out to clubs like The Forum and The Market Bar, so I had a really well-established relationship with Nottingham,” he reveals. “I always loved the independent spirit of the scene there and I love the history. I’ve been through the caves about five times, and I’ve been in Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem about a million times! I’ve seen some great gigs at Rock City too, saw Father John Misty on his first record, saw Foals – can’t wait to come back.”
The Nottingham crowd – they are well versed in live music. I think just to have a space like Rock City promotes a routine of going to live shows. Nottingham crowds from the off are already warmed up, that’s just what they know
Oxford math-rockers Foals would end up being critical to the band’s history, as witnessing one of their gigs at Alexandra Palace in London in 2014 would light a fire in Matt’s belly, leading him to start a band with friends Chris Alderton (guitar) and Elliot Briggs (bass). Their Dot To Dot performance would follow about twelve months after their formation, with only a handful of people turning up to their early afternoon slot at The Bodega – which included their friends in fellow Reading indie outfits, Sundara Karma. They won me over that day though and I was back to see them six months later for their first headline show in Nottingham, at the sadly now closed Chameleon Arts Café.
While there were only about five people in the room that night, grassroot venues like The Chameleon were crucial to The Amazons building their fanbase early on in their career.
“It was the difference between us playing Nottingham and not, because we weren’t even at the level to play somewhere like The Bodega at that point,” Matt explains. “We just wouldn’t have played Nottingham if we couldn’t have played The Chameleon Arts Café. Then by the time you get to Rock City, you have a really established relationship, and you’ve got memories of a city like Nottingham.”
A big part of establishing that passionate fanbase in Nottingham has come from their Rough Trade in-stores over the years. Playing a show here on every album release to-date, it’s allowed them to connect with their fans in a way they simply can’t with other shows.
“I think it’s ultimately the structure of the event that allows for time to meet the fans and talk to them,” Matt explains. “To hear their stories and connection with the music, or just who they are and what they do - what their life is outside of just listening to The Amazons. You get a really good sense of the characters and the people who like the band. Of course, you can meet your audience at shows and in chance meetings, but it’s never a dedicated time to do so in the same way the record store shows give that opportunity.”
“I think Nottingham, especially Rough Trade, feels like a real hub for the art and the music scene. It’s obviously a space that’s not just used for records, but you can do shows, there’s a bar and a café - so just to engage with that, you get a real sense of the city’s scene,” he says.
When asked about any special plans for their next Rough Trade in-store show, Matt is understandably coy - but he does hint at doing a DJ Set at The Bodega this time around. However, the Rough Trade show isn’t their only return to Nottingham this year – they will also be playing Rock City in October for the first time since 2022. Matt hasn’t been shy on social media about his love for the venue, even posting at one point that it’s his favourite venue in the UK. When asked what makes the venue so special, Matt believes it’s a combination of the space design and the people in attendance.
“First of all, it is the Nottingham crowd – they are well versed in live music,” he explains. “I think just to have a space like Rock City promotes a routine of going to live shows. Nottingham crowds from the off are already warmed up, that’s just what they know.”
With Rock City, it’s the combination of how close you are to the crowd and how the room is shaped around the stage. When I come out, I’ve got an audience that is really close to me, we seem to almost be on the same level, and then my peripheral vision is just completely covered with people.
“So with Rock City, it’s the combination of how close you are to the crowd and how the room is shaped around the stage. When I come out, I’ve got an audience that is really close to me, we seem to almost be on the same level, and then my peripheral vision is just completely covered with people. So what people love about Rock City is there’s just a natural energy to the whole thing. I think with this tour, a lot of the venues have been picked because of that energy, so for example the Albert Hall in Manchester and The Roundhouse (London) are exactly the same, where just everywhere you look is people - it just gives an urgency from the off.”
“At its best, rock and roll is reactive – we have the capacity to be in this conversation with the crowd where it’s almost this one-upmanship, where you just keep on pushing and pushing. That’s why Rock City is so great, and I think Nottingham just has more of an instinct for the alternative. Our Nottingham shows always sell out and I don’t know why – we’ve always loved Nottingham.”
I think it’s safe to say, the feeling is mutual.
The Amazons release 21st Century Fiction on Friday 9 May. Catch them playing at Rough Trade Nottingham on Saturday 10 May before playing Rock City later in the year on Sunday 26 October.
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