THERE’S NO place like home for The Amazons lead singer Matt Thomson, following the band’s Main Stage Festival debut in Reading on Sunday.
They gave the crowd an explosive set on the final day of the major rock festival – a far cry from their early days honing their talent in the pubs and clubs of Reading.
Then in an exclusive chat with Reading todayMatt said: “It feels good to be home – we had a crazy weekend playing Leeds on Friday, then Paris on Saturday before finishing here.
“We’ve been thinking about it for a long time, so it’s really good to be there.”
As for whether they still feel the jitters before a performance, Matt said: “Every time… Reading has the ability to be emotionally traumatic because the stakes are high, so the high you get when it goes well is incredible.”
The band first played Reading Festival under a different guise back in 2010 and first as The Amazons in 2015.
“We came back and played Fest Republic (stage) in 2017, BBC Radio 1 in 2019 and now the Main Stage in 2023.
“We ran into Melvin [Benn] right after this year’s set and he loved it; he wanted us to wear a Reading FC shirt and we agreed – if they booked us on the Main Stage again.”
The audience also gave such a positive response to the group: “Doing this slot is interesting because it’s a challenge: people roll out of bed, you don’t know what you’re going to get.
“It was such a warm reception, it felt like we had brought some of the more zombified figures to life.”
On his experience, he explained: “From playing places like Austin City Limits and Rock En Seine this weekend, there’s no festival experience like it in the UK, and Reading is one of the great examples of this unbridled, frenzied Dark Fruits culture.
“I remember it well, but I like being on stage.”
Having played all over the world, Matt said: “All the talk of it being a journey to this point, over 13 years, you’d think it feels like an end, but it doesn’t – it feels like a new beginning.
“It’s been a tough year for us just personally.”
This includes the departure of the band’s drummer at the end of 2022, after which he explains that the band has gone through a period of “recalibration, working out who we are and what our sound is now that Joe has left.
“He wasn’t just a drummer, he was a massive personality and character in our band – a big brother after all.
“We have to grow up and do our jobs, it felt like a first step for new Amazons.”
As for what to expect from the new era for the band, guitarist Chris said: “We always want to feel like we’re a little out of our depth, that’s where we feel most comfortable.
“We’ve never been a band to settle where we feel most secure, we prefer to go as far as we can – when it pays off, it’s worth it.”
Matt added: “It was really uncomfortable and it’s still a little bit, you have to come away with a new sense of belief in the band and what you stand for and exactly where it is in your own life, which is constantly being challenged.”
“And if you deal with that, you have a much stronger identity, whether that’s on the outside that you can see, but more importantly, we felt that inside.”
With so much ahead, Reading Festival’s Matt says the work continues: “Next up is Azerbaijan, where we’re supporting [fellow Reading Festival Performers] Imagine dragons.”
Bassist Elliott said: “It’s a destination I don’t think any of us expected to go to any time soon.
“It’s going to be wild and a reminder of the places this band has taken us, and that’s one of the best parts of being in a band.”
Mysteriously, Matt added, “I think we’re going to be coming home sooner than anyone can imagine.”
This article will be updated with photos from their set on Monday, August 28.