With the recent release of their live EP ‘Come The Fire, Come The Evening’, we spoke to The Amazons before their set at All Points East on their next album, touring in Asia, and how they got lost in Germany.

“We haven’t played for a while” says drummer Joe Emmett, as he and the rest of the band soak up the sunshine before their first time playing since March.

“We did a warm up Festival in Lyon, France and we were on at 1 in the morning. We had loads of brie and gin, so we thought we were really good,” explains Joe, as they discuss how they’re feeling about the upcoming set at All Points East and their prep.

“We probably drink a little bit more before we go on stage, it’s a bit more relaxed, and you get to see other bands. It’s a much more social event, festival season, I like it for that reason as on tour you’re always touring with the same people.” The Amazons have come a long way since the release of their self-titled debut Album, with them playing an expansive number of festivals, but even with the different crowds and atmospheres, they aren’t fazed. “I think we’re lucky as it doesn’t really cross our minds, rock ‘n’ roll is enjoyed by a wide range of ages. Isle of Wight obviously has a bit of an older crowd with a lot of kids, and Reading is straight up ‘Lord of the Flies’ bedlam.” We can’t argue with that.

“It’s cool as people love rock ‘n’ roll still and that’s what we do, so it works pretty well on most levels”. Although, sometimes maybe it doesn’t… as Matt Thomson (singer/guitarist) explains: “Lost Village Festival was a massive dance festival and they had a couple of bands. Us, VANT, and Clean Cut Kid – that didn’t really go down too well, but I think our music is universal so goes down pretty well [normally]”.

Conversation turns towards anecdotes of previous festivals The Amazons have played, including getting lost in Germany: “We played a festival in Germany, and we hired two cars instead of getting a van. Callum (their tour manager) drove these two [Matt Thomson and Elliot Briggs] and me [Joe] and Chris drove the other car. We got lost, and went to the wrong entrance. We had to be escorted through the whole festival as we were in the wrong place. The moral of the story is don’t let the bands self drive” explains Joe. “Don’t give bands any responsibility, they will get lost.”

Before the start of their festival season, The Amazons had been touring constantly as part of their first album campaign, but which do they prefer? “Don’t have to pick, I’d do both.” comments Matt.

“[If they had to pick, it would be] own shows, because you do way more songs, and I think if we were doing our own shows at the moment we would probably throw some new songs in. But as we’ve got 40 minutes, we don’t really have time to do that, I guess. So probably our own shows, as you can just bring in more production and create your own world.” We can agree with that, even from their festival set it was clear The Amazons bring a unique energy to their performance.

With talk of touring, discussion naturally moves towards their time in Asia and the prominent differences between the fanbases there and in the UK. “They’re so respectful in Japan and Korea,” explains Matt. “If I do a ballad like ‘Palace’ where I’m on the piano…you could hear a pin drop, whereas in the UK you’ve got the hum [of people talking]. In Asia, they respect. It’s ingrained in the culture.”

“It was our first ever gig,” adds Elliot, “we were in the dressing room and we had a translating lady from the label. She went out to the front of the crowd, and she came back with some bags from the fans out front. [But] she kept going out and bringing it back, there were piles of gifts, letters, cakes, illustrations, and hand puppets.”

The Amazons have recently released their live EP ‘Come The Fire, Come The Evening’ with live recordings of fan favourites such as ‘Junk Food Forever’, ‘In My Mind’, and ‘Black Magic’ at iconic music venues whilst touring. “We didn’t want to go a whole year without putting anything out, we wanted to keep the ball rolling. We’ve had an amazing year, and always try to do something different with [our] live shows, and play around with the songs a bit” explains Matt, as we discuss the reasons for a Live EP over a second album. “On the last tour in February, we decided to record it and see if people dig it. We weren’t ready to put out any new music because we’re still figuring out what’s going on with that. So we wanted to give a footnote of where we’re at at the moment with the Live EP”. It is one hell of a footnote, proving why they are not only a great recorded band, but also a great live band.

With talks on new music and the upcoming debut, we wondered if there was anything different about the second album vs. the debut album. “We’ve certainly had to adapt,” says Matt. “It’s changed a little bit…we’ve not been touring since March, so we’ve had a real go every day at our studio in Reading. It’s probably a bit more collaborative. We recorded the first album in 2016, so we’re very different. We’ve seen a lot more of the world, and listen to much different things.”

“We’re not 20 any more,” he says. “It’s surprised me how far we’ve gone sonically. I thought it would be harder to make something different, but it is harder to recreate what we did in the first album. If you said we want another ‘Junk Food Forever’, we wouldn’t even know where to start. So much has happened, and as long as we keep an energy and a spirit to everything we do that people connected with in the first record in everything we do.”

It’s safe to say, The Amazons have had a whirlwind since their debut album release last year. But if their live performance and attitude to their music is anything to go by, they are in for a long, successful career in music and we cannot wait to see what they have in store for the second album.

You can see The Amazons at a string of festivals they are playing this summer below:

10 August – Boardmasters Festival

26 August – Victorious Festival

Buy The Amazons’ live EP ‘Come The Fire, Come The Evening’ here: iTunes | Amazon