Amyl and the Sniffers @ Factory Theatre 13/3
ARIA award winners Amyl and the Sniffers played in Marrickville, Sydney last Friday to a sold-out Factory Theatre. The Melbourne punk band are a throwback to the rough and heavy hard rock sound of the 70s, with their live shows living up to the head-banging chaos that their music captures. Often compared to AC/DC, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and Minor Threat, the energetic music is tailor made for small, dingy venues and raucous, boozy crowds. Much like their namesake, Amyl and the Sniffers were a debilitating rush that left the Sydney crowd with splitting headache and a craving for more.
The Factory Theatre was the perfect place for this event. Housed in Marrickville, the distinct Inner West charm of the pub below carried upstairs to create a punter friendly atmosphere. This was also helped by support acts Gee Tee and RMFC, who warmed the eager crowd up. The surprisingly large Factory Theatre allowed for the huge capacity crowd to spread out, meaning that no matter what people wanted to do, whether it be mosh in the centre, sing along from the sides, or watch up the back, there was room to do so. The bar, merchandise stand and toilets were all conveniently located within walking distance to the stage, so no-one had to go back downstairs and miss the action.
With booze flowing, music pumping and the space filling, the crowd was all revved up with no place to go. Greeted by a huge uproar, Amyl and the Sniffer took to the stage, with a quick message about looking after each other from singer Amy Taylor. Then it was off. From the opening strum of guitarist Declan Martens’ grouchy, overdriven guitar, the mosh was alive, thumping up and down in a hypnotic rhythm and pulsing back and forth like an aggressive tide. Drummer Bryce Wilson was relentless as the thunderous roll of his drum echoed and boomed through the theatre, leaving the crowd disoriented and shell-shocked while bassist Gus Romer and his fiery ginger mullet chugged away. A great battle of a biblical proportion will one day be fought between him and the Chats’ Eamon Sandwith, but for now Romer staked his claim as the best bassist in the modern pub rock scene. However, the real star of the show was lead singer Amy Taylor, who showed why she is a once in a generation talent.
People often compare her to the great female singers of the past like Patti Smith, Joan Jett, Debbie Harry and even her personal inspiration Dolly Parton. However, comparing her to the female legends of old limits the selection criteria by half, when much more accurately, Amy Taylor is the second coming of AC/DC’s Bon Scott, with her ruthless, vulgar and unashamed performance style that forces people to overlook the ear-piercing music and enjoy the show. While her voice is about as virtuosic as the rest of the band, it is filled with the raw aggression that fuels a punk rock gig. Last Friday, she ran up and down the stage, equating herself to a mutt that can’t be muzzled while barking into the microphone with an anti-authoritarian fury that challenged perceptions on gender in rock music. She is not only an ambassador for women in the punk community, but also for women in the music industry as a whole. Plus, she’s bloody fun to watch.
A significant reason why Amy Taylor’s stage presence is so shockingly special is her engagement with the crowd. Between rolling on the floor, bouncing off the walls and peeling away layers of clothes, the punk dynamo drew in the crowd with her infectious energy. After a graceful stage dive, she would stand on the speakers at the front of the stage, lurching over the audience in all her might. In these moments, Amy Taylor would either hold the microphone out over the crowd and capture their roar or hold it down to the people and let them take the reins singing. With catchy and easy to pick up lyrics like those found on “I’m Not A Loser”, “I Got You” and “Gacked On Anger”, the crowd created a constant call and response effect, becoming essential to the performance.
However, this engagement went a step further. People would often climb on stage besides the band, with Amy welcoming and helping them on stage. Whether it was clearing the runway for blokes diving back into the mosh, dancing and swaying with the ladies while performing alongside them, or getting in between security and her delinquent fans so that the madness could continue, Amy Taylor made an inclusive and accepting environment that encouraged a kind of rowdiness that doesn’t exist in Sydney anymore.
This had a ripple effect on the audience, resulting in them looking after each other in what was a violently peaceful mosh. No one fought, no one was seriously hurt and no one felt like they couldn’t get involved. It is the way the punk scene should be and a perfect example of the positive influence Amyl and the Sniffers have. Don’t let their rough sound fool you, Amyl and the Sniffers are a must-see for any live music fans.
