READING rockers, The Amazons are set to take to the stage at Manchester’s legendary venue, The Deaf Institute on Thursday.

They will be filling the room with their high-octane hard rock performance, inspired by rock music past and present.

The four-piece, Matt Thomson (guitar and vocals), Chris Alderton (guitar), Elliot Briggs (bass), Joe Emmett (drums), have returned to the UK to finish off a sold out national tour.

Coming off the back of a string of radio hits, they will release their eponymous debut album on May 26.

Stand-out track, ‘In My Mind’ came to Matt Thomson while driving back from Glasgow with the band. He recalls imagining the powerful riff. ‘The tracks that I write in my mind are the ones that translate, and are memorable.’

Thomson sees this song, along with later releases ‘Little Something’ and ‘Black Magic’ as heralding a "change in perception of the band", a "rock of the boat" away from their former indie-pop sound, saying that they’ve "grown out of it". Indie music is "becoming boring", he suggests, and says he prefers the "danger and sexiness of rock ‘n’ roll".

He acknowledges the cool edge to indie music, but says that it is becoming "too niche", and about "wearing charity shop clothes and getting seven-inch singles out on Rough Trade".

"I don’t want that to represent where guitar music is … Royal Blood and the last Arctic Monkeys record were a signal that you could make big riffs really cool, and it’s not cheesy, and that you can put melodic and emotive tunes to riffs. It’s dark, sexy and dangerous," says Thomson.

He praises Led Zeppelin and the great blues artists that inspired them, but insists The Amazons are all about making 21st century rock music. "We’re trying to bring out the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. Emulate, not imitate, it."

"I hope people are just excited by [the album]," says Thomson. "It’s not a concept record where you have to think about it, I don’t think rock ‘n’ roll is necessarily supposed to be highbrow. You just turn it up loud in your car and scream along to the lyrics. Then buy a ticket to the show, scream along with strangers, and just lose yourself for an hour. That’s what rock ‘n’ roll is to us."

The modern rock outfit have just returned from a European tour in support of global stars, You Me At Six. "We learnt so much from them," says Thomson. "They were really supportive, warm, and welcoming.

"We just hung out with them a lot, and had beers with them. They gave us time, and imparted all their wisdom. We picked their brains on a daily basis."

Thomson uses this to look ahead for The Amazons. "There’s no way we can’t use their anecdotal advice for the better of the group."

The hard rocker even thinks that supporting them has changed his attitude towards his own band’s support artists. "They showed us how it was done. It means a lot when the headline act treats you as a normal human being rather just “the support band”."

Thomson says that there are certain dates and venues on tour where you, "Just know they are going to be big," acknowledging Manchester, alongside Glasgow and London.

"We’ve heard loads about The Deaf Institute, but have never actually played it," says Thomson, full of enthusiasm for the gig and the city.

"Every time we’ve been to Manchester it’s been a great gig. It’s a great city and we love hanging out there.

"Mancunians know what they’re on about. They know music. They don’t care what’s cool and wear their heart on their sleeve," says Thomson.

"The city’s got a really rich history, some of the best bands Britain’s produced come from Manchester."

The Amazons bring their rock ’n’ roll spirit to The Deaf Institute this Thursday. Let’s hope you’ve already got your ticket, it’s long sold out.