The Amazons launch their new beer at Renegade brewery gig
The Amazons at Renegade Brewery, Yattendon, on Saturday, November 12. Review by CAMERON BLACKSHAW, pictures by PHIL CANNINGS
Yattendon’s Renegade Brewery hosted its first ever live concert when Reading rockers The Amazons took over the taproom for an acoustic set.
Only two of the three band members performed on the evening, with their music taking on a considerably relaxed and mellow tone compared to the heavier and more raucous sound of their studio recordings.
Matt Thomson, the band’s frontman, provided vocals and acoustic guitar, while guitarist Chris Alderton switched between mandolin and electric guitar throughout the set.
From the opening song, Thomson’s impressive full voice filled the taproom and complemented his guitar playing.
The mandolin was a fine accompaniment, providing a sweet and whimsical edge to a lot of the songs.
As there were only two band members on stage and the concert was in quite an intimate environment, Thomson regularly stopped between songs to chat about his songwriting process, band antics and his own life philosophies.
At times it was interesting to be given some insight about how The Amazons work, but for me it wore a little thin after a couple of songs.
The stripped back versions of tunes the two performed matched the taproom’s vibe excellently, as punters made regular visits to the bar to try Bloodrush, the new beer Renegade has made in collaboration with The Amazons. The fruity and fragrant IPA is named after one of the band’s new singles.
Nearing the end of the gig, the pair began to play some of their more well-known songs, including Junk Food Forever and Black Magic.
These tracks really got the crowd moving, with Thomson commanding the taproom with a call and response exercise before performing Mother, the band’s most popular song on YouTube with more than 1.5 million views.
The gig reached an emotional peak when Thomson and Alderton performed Northern Star, one of the tracks off The Amazons’ new album How Will I Know if Heaven Will Find Me?.
Almost the entire crowd pulled out their phones to shine lights on the band during the song, belting out the lyrics with sufficient gusto.
Let’s hope Renegade continues to use its taproom as a unique performance venue.
It works.
