WITH one quick glance at the charts nowadays you would be forgiven for thinking the four-piece rock ‘n’ roll band has been consigned to the realms of history. Long gone are the days of Brit-Pop battles and massive rock throw downs from Nirvana and Foo Fighters to be replaced by derivative and over-commercialised pop dross. The Amazons however, buck that trend. Taking elements of grunge scruffiness and Brit-pop swagger they prove that huge riffs and fills are still alive and kicking.

The Reading quartet, brought up on a steady diet of festival anthems spilling out of Little John’s Farm every August, are clearly a product of their environment. Their self-titled debut album released May 26 on Fiction Records, is a stonking melee of indie sing-alongs and garage rock crackers. Latest single ‘Junk Food Forever’ opens with a sparkling chorus of ‘yeahs’ as frontman Matt Thomson belts out “junk food forever… ‘cause it feels like forever when I’m stuck here on my own” with all the aggression of a screaming Kurt Cobain. ‘Raindrops’ smacks of Kasabian in their prime and is easily the biggest ‘in your face’ track on their eponymous LP.

Album opener ‘Stay With Me’ is laden with ear-piecing riffs from guitarist Chris Alderton as Thomson continues to wail the chorus out like a man possessed. Tracks like ‘Burn My Eyes’ and ‘In My Mind’ are evident of the work the English four-piece have done with Foals and Wolf Alice producer Catherine Marks. Brooding, loud and rasping. it seems that every single track on The Amazons packs a punch. With a jangle of indie-rock guitar and smash of something heavier ‘Black Magic’ is a delightful concoction of The Amazons biggest influencers  in Led Zeppelin and Rage Against The Machine. On ‘Ultraviolet’, The Amazons shed a layer to reveal an interesting pop-punk skin, giving them another rock ‘n’ roll weapon in their arsenal for the battle against the mainstream. Coming in with a chugging Elliot Briggs bass line and twisted twangs of guitar, ‘Little Something’ is about as dark as the Reading boys get. Thomson howls with noticeable angst, proclaiming “Show me where you’re hiding, where my heart’s been pining. Hey my little something, what am I becoming?”

The Amazons share a smattering of something a bit funkier on ‘Holy Roller’ as Thomson and Anderson break out some acoustic guitars and the fills of drummer Joe Emmett become more experimental. In fact, the LP pushes the boundaries more and more as it marches on. ‘Something In The Water’ and album closer ‘Palace’ are far more understated and reserved; with the latter showcasing the musicality of Thomson on the piano with a delightful stripped back vocal and gentle ethereal vibes. It is quite clear to hear and see why The Amazons are one of the hottest new bands in the UK at this moment. With the Jools Holland seal of approval, mainstream radio airplay and a sold-out UK tour under their belt, they look set to smash their set at hometown Reading Festival later this summer. The Amazons is a huge album and you truly cannot afford to miss out on one of the most exciting live acts around right now.