Photo - Matt Goff The Amazons are a 4 piece hailing from Reading. For some reason, I don’t know why, I thought they were going to be this scary metal hardcore scream in your face until you cry band...I have no idea why, I HAVE NO IDEA BUT LUCKILY I WAS VVV WRONG! Fortunately for all us they are just a cool AF band, making cool AF music, looking cool AF whilst they do it (uuuughhhh they are just cool AF, help). A few of my pals had been buzzing about this band for a while, sending me their songs ''Ultraviolet'' and ''Junk Food Forever''...well folks, I was hooked! The boys were luckily playing at King Tuts around a week or so ago for the ''This Feeling'' club night and I couldn't resist sitting them down for a wee chinwag. FCK YES: Hey guys!! So tell me, how did you become a band? MATT: We had been knocking around in bands in Reading for a couple of years. Elliott, Chris and I were in a band for a number of years and then we lost our drummer as he went off and did something else. We were looking for a drummer for ages, we went through like eight of them and then we found Joe, who was playing bass quite badly in another band... JOE: How do you know that!? You never heard me play!! MATT: ...and we thought ''y'know, this guy could be a drummer''. He did drum and it's really f*cking loud!! Also he has a great John Bonham tattoo on his arm, so we were pretty much sold. That was 2014, so we became The Amazons in September 2014 FCK YES: What bands do you think influence your band? JOE: It's a range really. We all have really different influences, which kind of creates everyone's identity. So when we come together to make tunes, Matthew will kind of birth the idea of the song and everyone else puts their individual signature on it MATT: Joe is kind of more into Foo Fighters and Nirvana CHRIS: Anything with a massive drum part... MATT: I think we all have different tastes but also there are bands that kind of unite us. We all really like Foals new record. JOE: It's always bands! Chris and I used to be into electronic music a few years ago, that kind of moved on and now it's all about bands for us! MATT: Yeah, it's just bands with personalities like rock n roll...Cage The Elephant JOE: Arcade Fire! Tame Impala! FCK YES: Nice! What is the craziest thing that has ever happened at a live show? JOE: We haven't even had a stage invasion yet!! I'm waiting for that.. This isn't the craziest thing but we played a house party in our friends kind of summer house type garage... CHRIS: Naaa it's a squat JOE: Ok, yeah, a squat. Whilst we were playing, one of our mates who is in another band got lifted up by everyone and started crowd surfing but the ceiling was so low his face was being pushed into the ceiling! He was stuck against the ceiling! MATT: Ah yeah that was horrible! JOE: That was probably one of the weirdest things I have ever witnessed MATT: It was quite disturbing haha JOE: We are quite a chilled band though MATT: We don’t go out looking for trouble... FCK YES: Ok, ok...if you say so... MATT: We will see tonight, it might all change FCK YES: Yep, Glasgow can change people What was your highlight of 2015? MATT: Releasing the EP was amazing! ELLIOTT: Putting out our first ever bit of music. We've been playing together for about 5 years and we were working so hard towards that MATT: We did this thing also with a company called VINYL and they put out vinyl every month by new artists. You don't get paid but they give you 50 free vinyls and we were the first edition. We got this purple vinyl which was really cool, it was nice to have our own physical piece of music. It's all very well having the EP on Itunes and Spotify but it's cooler having a physical piece of music, something the grandparents will understand! ELLIOTT: Playing Reading and Leeds as well, as Reading is our hometown festival! We have been going ever since we were 15, so to actually finally get on the bill was amazing FCK YES: That must have been a bit surreal ELLIOTT: Oh yeah for sure, and because it's our hometown, everyone we knew was there to see us which was really sweet. We had a great crowd and we played a great show! FCK YES: That's really cool! What plans do you have for 2016? JOE: Visit every corner of the UK and Ireland probably. We have a couple of singles planned for release MATT: We have one coming out in March which we are excited about...nothing confirmed but it's happening! A sh*t load of shows and a sh*t load of music, there isn't much more a band does. Do you know what I mean? The plan is always just release music, play shows! JOE: We have played some weird places already, we played in Banbury MATT: We were in Dunfermline last year, we played at PJ Molloys FCK YES: I have never been there but everyone says that is a nice venue! MATT: Very nice venue...Oh f*ck here we go... In Dunfermline, if you ever go, go to the park FCK YES: Ok... MATT: Now the park will take your breath away. So you're just chilling in the park, walking around and then you're like ''oh there's a squirrel...that's kind of close'', then you keep on walking around and there's another squirrel, AND THEN THERE IS JUST A SH*T LOAD OF SQUIRRELS. JOE: They come so close to you MATT: I'm only making this point because there we SO MANY SQUIRRELS. If there were six squirrels you would be like ''fine, yeah, whatever'' but we counted around thirty!! FCK YES: Woaaaaaaaaah MATT: They come up to you and there was this couple feeding them pringles JOE: Chris and I got lost in this ravine, we ended up in this sort of rainforest with this really furry wall... So yeah, go to Dunfermline to look at the furry wall and go to the squirrel sanctuary FCK YES: Hahahhahaha!! Well that was a weird turn... So as this is a band crush piece...who are your band crushes!? ELLIOTT: Westlife MATT: Ermm who do we really like at the moment? I love Mark Ronson man! ELLIOTT: Kevin Parker and the rest of Tame Impala MATT: Yes we love them, they are super cool ELLIOTT: That album last year was easily my favourite. It hasn't been out of my car since and Kevin is just an absolute genius. I hope he wins all the grammys this year! JOE: We have tickets to see them next week, and we are coming back from Bristol. We are driving after the show like 200mph, probably going to kill a few people, crash the car through the venue just so we can watch them FCK YES: I saw them play the Barrowlands in Glasgow a few months ago and it was probably one of the best gigs I went to in 2015 ELLIOT: We saw them in Reading in 2013, at the time I was like ''this is amazing'' and then I kind of look back a few years later like ''f*cking hell'', it's off the chain man FCK YES: Ok so...if you guys were an emoji, what emoji would you be!? JOE: I'd be the smiling poo MATT: Straight in.. CHRIS: I would be that weird devil that's really hairy JOE: HAHAHAHA yes that's so good ELLIOT: What would I be!? I'm going to go through my phone... JOE: You would be the little monkey with the hands over it's face ELLIOT: Na, that's lame! FCK YES: I think I'm the Spanish dancer JOE: Ah yes, that's a good one! Matt would be the nail painting one MATT: Hahaha that's fine with me! ELLIOT: I'm going to keep you here for ages... MATT: You've got to be the alien, man ELLIOT: I want to be the rainbow...Na, actually no I don't I haven't updated them. Ok so I'm a bit of a retard and I bought this Japanese keyboard which has these weird emojis but they are so much better. Ok, maybe I should be one of these. I will be the Japanese emoji which you have to download from the app store QUICK FIRE ROUND! FCK YES: Donald Trump ALL: F*CK NO FCK YES: Wine ALL: F*CK YES FCK YES: What wine do you guys drink? JOE: Argentinian Malbec MATT: I don't really drink wine but apparently it's good for the voice. It's one of the alcoholic drinks that isn't as bad for your voice! FCK YES: Oh really! MATT: Yeah, so F*CK YES! I wanna get into it JOE: I'm a bit of a wine geek. I actually have a wine rack with expensive wines, not so expensive ones and then dirt cheap wine MATT: What alcohol don't you like Joe? JOE: Tequila and sambuca FCK YES: Ahhh have you had a shot of tequila and then a shot of pineapple juice!? Best thing you will ever have EVER! JOE: That sounds quite nice but tequila makes me violent MATT: We had a fight when Joe was on tequila.. It was after the NME Awards launch party.. JOE: F*ck knows why we were there ahhaha! MATT: There was a lot of free booze and then we had tequila shots. We were walking back to the tube or something and Joe squeezed my balls so I jabbed him in the face, and then it all goes a bit nuts. He got really aggressive and he is pulling my hair, he goes ''WHY DID YOU DO THAT!!??'' FCK YES: Was this a full on b*tch fight!? JOE: Yeah man, it wasn't even a manly fight ELLIOT: Watching it was even more hilarious! MATT: In my head I was like ''tomorrow this guy will be out of the band'' And then he knocked himself out at Paddington station... ELLIOT: We were trying to run for the last train and to get onto the platform you have to go up these steps...I was running and I jumped them and I knew he was going to do it as well, he was so f*cked he jumped and all I hear is this BOOOOM! MATT: He is just there sprawled out on the floor. These two bloody carry on walking and I'm like ''JOE JOEEE'' and he's like ''BLEEERGHHHH'', then these two Paddington staff came over like ''WAKEEE UPPPP JOE WAKE UPPPPPP!!'' ELLIOT: He was OUT OF IT! JOE: I woke up with a really bruised face, I was like ''how hard did you hit me last night Matt!?'' and he's says ''I don't know we were both drunk''. Then I subsequently found out that he hit me on the other side of the face which didn't hurt and my face actually hurt because I face planted in Paddington FCK YES: That is f*cking hilarious! Hahahahha MATT: Sorry this is supposed to be a quick fire round FCK YES: Hahahaha no, I love it! Kanye's fight on Twitter with Wiz ALL: F*CK YES FCK YES: How funny was that!? MATT: It was so good! Amber Rose coming in with that bomb He should of just owned it FFS instead of the whole ''I'm actually not in to that kind of stuff'' FCK YES: Buckfast JOE: F****CK YEEEEEEEEEEEEAH! MATT: We have had Bucky Bombs JOE: When we were playing in Edinburgh this band took us out afterwards and we had bucky bombs MATT: It tastes like Calpol FCK YES: Pineapple on pizza *the room is divided* MATT: F*CK NO CHRIS: Pineapple on pizza is amazing! ELLIOT: Well you know how at parties they would have pineapple with cheese on a stick.. JOE: Yeah, and then it just fell onto some bread MATT: With some tomato on it as well ELLIOT: then it just fell into the oven JOE: 110% F*CK NO from me MATT: Right what’s the next one!? FCK YES: I'm finished!! JOE: ONE MORE!!! Off the top of your head FCK YES: Ermmmmm ok....KIMOJIS *confused faces* ALL: WHAT!? FCK YES: A KIMOJI is a Kim Kardashian emoji MATT: Ahhh Jesus...F*CK NO FCK YES: Hahahahha they are the best things I have ever seen! It's a F*CK YES from me Probably the best interview I have done in a while, and who knew they would love our quick fire round so much!!?? My trusty accomplice Cara and I went up to see the band play a belter of a set upstairs in the Tuts venue. There was even a guy who started doing a royal wave mid set to everyone in the venue #goals. Highlight was of course that catchy AF song ''Ultraviolet'' that I can't get out of my head ever. There was also this song that was like MY FAVE OF THE NIGHT but I can’t remember the name of it but pretty sure it was the last song played(I blame the wine, professional as ever), so boys if there is a god in this world and you are reading this then help a sister out. ALSO there was even a wee stage invasion from the same man who was doing the royal wave..quickly taken off stage by security, poor guy. The Amazons are a band that you need to see live ASAP. Also as they said before, they are touring the f*ck out of this year so go and see them at a trusty music venue near you. YOU WON'T REGRET IT. I now leave you with that song that I can't get out my f*cking head (in a good way though):
FAQs
What is the point of live music? ›
People who regularly experience live music boost their creativity and cognitive abilities; reduce stress hormone levels while increasing the production of endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin; experience consistent social connection or “collective effervescence; and even live longer (up to nine years longer, in fact).
Why is live music so special? ›So why do people enjoy live music so much? What makes it different from simply watching a recording? The researchers believe it is a combination of 3 factors: being physically present and immersed in a concert environment, sharing an experience with others, and the sense of occasion.
Is live music good for your brain? ›Only live music showed a strong and positive coupling between the features of the musical performance and brain activity in listeners, researchers found.
How do you get your music critiqued? ›- Online Forums. ...
- Reddit. ...
- ( Quick note: so you are ready to distribute your song, download the free music submission checklist by clicking here or on the image below)
- Facebook Groups. ...
- Music Blogs. ...
- SoundCloud. ...
- Industry Professionals. ...
- Fiverr (Fastest, Most Inexpensive Way IMHO)
Human contact and social interaction can help these little hormones burst into life. Like endorphins or serotonin, oxytocin makes us feel good. One study shows a link between oxytocin and listening to live music. Concertgoers were asked to wear an EEG headband to measure their bodies' response to the performance.
Does live music improve mental health? ›Studies have shown that listening to music releases endorphins and dopamine in the brain. As well as giving you a sense of euphoria, the release of these chemicals in the brain can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. It gives you something to look forward to.
Why does live music make me so happy? ›Yes, live music is great for flooding our brains with dopamine. You might, like me, experience a rush of goosebumps when those first opening notes sound out in a venue. That's frisson, a psychophysiological response to auditory stimuli. Some feel it on their necks and backs.
How does live music make you feel? ›Hearing live music may be more stirring than listening to a recording of the same tune because it triggers greater activity in the part of the brain linked to processing emotions.
What is the magic of live music? ›Spontaneity and Authenticity
One of the most appealing aspects of live music is the element of spontaneity and authenticity that comes with it. Unlike recorded music, which can be polished and perfected in a studio, live performances are raw, unfiltered, and full of imperfections.
Live music elicits stronger and more consistent activity in the amygdala than recorded music, indicating heightened emotional responses. There is a unique synchronization between the audience's brain activity and live music, showcasing a deeper connection not found with recorded performances.
What are the effects of live music? ›
A study carried out at the University of Zurich has found that live performances trigger a stronger emotional response than listening to music from a device. Concerts connect performers with their audience, which may also have to with evolutionary factors. Music can have a strong effect on our emotions.
What do you call a person who critiques music? ›person who writes reviews about music performances or recordings. A music critic is someone who writes about concerts that have taken place or new music that has been written. They write reviews about this in newspapers or journals.
How do you get into music criticism? ›- Network with other Music Journalists and Music Historians.
- Listen to lots of music and read lots of music criticism.
- Start your own blog or become a volunteer writer at a blog so you can build your writing portfolio.
Concentrate on the colors, textures, and balance of the music. Professional pianist, composer, and music educator Warren Lee recommends “thinking about the emotions and feelings” of a song and “learning to hear it as a story.” When listening, close your eyes and visualize a scene that the song could be playing over.
What's the purpose of live sound? ›Put simply, live sound engineers have the responsibility of making sure that the artist or band they're working with, are sounding as they should and even a bit better. So, they create a well-balanced mix that can be heard by the audience. This is called the “Front of house (FOH)” mix.
What is the purpose of live concerts? ›There is nothing like seeing your favorite artist in person and hearing them sing and perform live which creates a connection between the audience and music that can only come from witnessing a concert.
How is live music beneficial? ›In addition to fostering social connections, live music can also improve mood and emotional expression. Researchers have found that listening to music can positively impact emotions. This leads to increased happiness and a greater sense of well-being.
What is the point of live listen? ›With Live Listen, your iPhone or iPad can act like a microphone that sends sound to your AirPods or Beats. Live Listen can help you hear a conversation in a noisy area or even hear someone speaking across the room.