Black Magic: The Amazons’ Halloween special at Birmingham’s O2 Institute

O2 Institute, Birmingham, 31 October 2025

What a surprise, back to the O2 Institute we go! To be completely transparent, I could never stay away for too long, and at this point it’s becoming a home away from home. But rightly so. The O2 Institute is one of the major hubs of Birmingham’s music scene, with a capacity of 2,400 people. Originally built as a congregational Methodist chapel, its exterior leaves visitors unsuspecting of what lies inside, three stages prepped and ready to be graced by devoted artists. It has housed a host of major rock and indie bands, from The Vaccines and Arctic Monkeys to The Human League and The Cure. Not to mention the likes of Joni Mitchell and Pink Floyd. It symbolises everything I adore about live music, offering a safe yet impassioned environment for gig-goers to enjoy an eclectic range of music.

But, Friday night’s antics offer a slightly different experience to what I’m typically used to. Fans are dressed to the nines in intriguing fancy dress; there were pirates, vampires and trees (your guess is as good as mine!) as well as an odd Gandalf, whose hat rose high above the crowd.

After what felt like a fever dream of an interaction, I was then propelled headfirst into a mosh pit, my life flashing before my eyes

Support Balancing Act are no exception to the Halloween theme, emerging in black and gold marching band uniforms popularised in several music videos produced for My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade. Although arguably wearing a more niche and unique costume than the staunchly book accurate Gandalf observing their set, the band seem to be siphoning My Chemical Romance’s pop-punk energy, assuredly performing songs from their recently released, and appropriately named for the spooky season, album: Who’ve You Come As? (Part 1). In spite of only recently forming in 2022, the band have swiftly found their feet, supporting not only The Amazons on their 21st Century Fiction tour, but also set to support Somebody’s Child and Bad Nerves later this year.

Left stunned by Balancing Act, I doubt anyone could’ve predicted what The Amazons had in store for us. They enter, not wearing an intricately nuanced musical reference, but rather looking as though they had come straight from middle-earth, dressed as elves and hobbits from Lord Of The Rings. Perhaps a more on the nose choice compared to Balancing Act’s homage to the 2000s rock icons. It’s clear that the band as a whole don’t take themselves too seriously, with vocalist Ella McRobb firing arrows into the audience, and an array of shire pipes also being smoked on stage.

Almost instantaneously after finishing their opening song ‘Joe Bought A Gun’, passionate chants of ‘sexy ginger bastard’ arose from the crowd, to which, obviously ginger, frontman Matthew Thomson replies, ‘all gingers are sexy bastards’. After what felt like a fever dream of an interaction, I was then propelled headfirst into a mosh pit, my life flashing before my eyes. However, I would do it again in a heartbeat, the crowd feeding upon the chaos and adrenaline of The Amazons.

McRobb’s vocals on ‘Living A Lie’ have a brilliantly haunting quality to them

The band then seamlessly transition into ‘Ready For Something’. As Thomson states, the track “is a scratching at the walls kind of song. You’ve been in the cage for far too long and you are ready. Ready to live, ready to experience, ready to make mistakes. Anything.”. The angsty and frustrated lyricism accompanied by thunderous drums and rhythm guitar curate an utterly liberating track. ‘25’, however, offers a more poignant message for today’s generation, blending the raw realism of Wunderhorse with the sound of Fontaines D.C.  “I’ve been dying to ignite the fire / Deep down, I know it’s all in vain / There’s nothing left to light” (‘25’, The Amazons) describes fighting a relentless battle against corruption and injustice, felt deeply by Thomson in his 20s.

McRobb’s vocals on ‘Living A Lie’ have a brilliantly haunting quality to them, bearing resemblance to the improvised, wordless vocals of Clare Torry on Pink Floyd’s ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’. Rightly so, she receives a raucous cheer and has further proved herself as a worthy addition to the band. Her vocals also feature heavily in the harmonies on ‘(Shake Me Down)’, the acoustic transitional track on 21st Century Fiction, spotlighting the versatility of the band.

The highly demanded encore once again affirmed the band’s connection with their audience, for the stage was dressed in linen clothes and exposed light bulbs, giving the impression of a spontaneous jam session despite the extremely manicured set. Solely playing tracks from their self-titled debut album, The Amazons fondly reminisce about their first gig in Birmingham at Mama Roux’s back in 2017, reflecting on their growth and expressing their gratitude.

So, The Amazons’ Halloween special was a gig to rival all others, with the events continuing even further into the night with an official after party at The Old Crown, consisting of a DJ set from The Amazons themselves. Their absurd costumes do not detract one bit from the splendour of their music, but rather facilitate a curiously intriguing night of live entertainment.

★★★★★