Saviours of guitar rock? Hmmm, maybe.

Date: October 6, 2017

Venue: Rescue Rooms

Kasabian stated recently that they’re the only ones who can “save guitar music from the abyss”, before releasing an album that did little to actually prove that statement. If guitar music does indeed need saving, who ya gonna call? Kasabian? Er no. Liam Gallagher? Maybe have him on standby, but your best bet would be to tap up The Amazons, because if any band has the ability – and the agility – to throttle a guitar like grunge never died then it’s this 4-piece from Reading.

Putting a capital R into Rock, and delivering seismic slabs of alternative rock with a pop slant, they’re like Sundara Karma with less zen and Catfish & The Bottlemen with more bravado.

The Rescue Rooms is rammed for this gig, with punters eager to take in their youthful exuberance, irresistible hooks and contagious tunes.

Matt Thomson doesn’t look like your archetypal rock front man. Pale, and with ginger locks spilling down into his face, he’s more post-grad than post-rock, but what he lacks in a rock aesthetic he more than makes up for in rock posturing. He jerks and jolts with his guitar in his hands and the spirit of rock n roll in his throat.

Ultraviolet is a bombastic opening, and follow-up Burn My Eyes is a chugging juggernaut that draws heavily from ’90s grunge.

“This gig is a very special gig for us”, begins Matt. “It’s the only gig to sell out on this tour!”. Nottingham clearly loves their brand of impassioned and emphatic rock. And what’s not to love exactly?

Holy Roller is like The Kooks re-wired with the wrong voltage (a good thing by the way) while the anthemic Black Magic is a bruising belter anchored around stadium-sized guitar hooks.

The only respite in the impassioned and emphatic onslaught on the cochlears comes in the encore with the beatific piano balled, Palace. But even that is trumped by the outstanding Junk Food Forever, which ends their triumphant set.

Savours of guitar music? Well, if the cap fits.