The rising popularity of Amyl and The Sniffers continues unabated. It’s well deserved and this gig, in a venue that by now seems much too small for a band of their status, was always going to sell out soon after it was announced. Support comes from American five piece Upchuck and the NX has filled out nicely with people wanting to see them. Their set is powerful, noisy, fast-paced, full of social commentary. Everything you need to make sure the adrenaline is pumping through those witnessing them prior to the main act. Front person Kaila ‘KT’ Thompson is a ball of energy, pacing the stage, whilst backed by a perfect punk rock noise from the rest of the band. ‘Boss Up’, ‘Freaky’, ‘Crossfire’, ‘Toothless’ and ‘Hush Toy’ are packed with relentless fuzzy bass/ guitar riffs and jump around drum beats. Infectious energy with a strong political leaning they connect with the crowd brilliantly. Thompson ends up in the pit, water is showered across the audience. Upchuck give it all performing like headliners, leaving those who saw them with a real sense of “Wow! Brilliant.”
By the time the actual headliners walk on stage the NX is rammed, the atmosphere electric and you know it’s going to be a wild one. Amyl and The Sniffers are welcomed with a massive roar as the huge drum roll that introduces ‘Doing In Me Head’ opens what turns into what will be a gig highlight of 2024. Embraced by punks, fans of heavy rock/metal and by people spanning a huge age range there really isn’t anything not to like about an Amyl and The Sniffers gig. There are signs everywhere stating the band’s zero tolerance policy towards sexual assault and any kind of discrimination, emphasising that everyone should be able to enjoy the show. They create a safe space for all and it’s this, as well as their incendiary music that leads to the creation of a mosh pit that starts in song one, continues until the dying notes of the very last song and stretches to the back of the venue. A mosh pit full of joy, not a hint of aggression.
In Amy Taylor the band has a front person who captures the attention and doesn’t release it for a single second. She leaps about the stage, runs, jumps, boxes, headbangs and constantly smiles. With a backbone of slicing guitars courtesy of Dec Mehrtens and the frantic pace of the rhythm section from drummer Bryce Wilson and bassist Gus Romer, Amyl and The Sniffers hammer out songs that are short, sharp, manic and infectious. ‘Freaks To The Front’ is only the second song but it sees Taylor in the pit, pacing from one end to the other, eye-balling the crowd, tongue out, huge grin and attitude that screams “We’re all in this together, let’s have a ball”.
New album ‘Cartoon Darkness’ features heavily but doesn’t dominate. ‘Jerkin’, ‘Do It Do It’, ‘Pigs’, ‘Motorbike Song’, ‘Tiny Bikini’ and the huge sing-along that is ‘Me And The Girls’ just as powerful and raw live as their earlier output. Despite this, some songs cause the moshpit to step up to an almost impossible level. ‘Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)’, ‘Security’, ‘Guided By Angels’, ‘Knifey’ and ‘Got You’ are insanely brilliant. You see bands that really gel with their audience but Amyl And The Sniffers take this to a whole new level and it’s complete mayhem down the front. Crowd surfers and those going over the barrier are treated with friendly respect by a security team who have quickly understood that this is just people having the time of their lives. An uncontrolled mass of sweaty, smiling faces.
‘Big Dreams’ is the only relief anyone gets from the relentless pace of the gig. It’s a huge, melodic sound, but full of sadness and a feeling of desolation. A time for thinking that is short lived as it’s followed by the ninety seven seconds of pummelling noise and screeching vocals of ‘It’s Mine’.The driving, almost funky ‘You Should Not Be Doing That’ with it’s massive, anthemic guitar riffs, the hammer punch of ‘Facts’ and ‘Hertz’ take us into the short break.
Turning the clock right back 2017’s ‘Balaclava Lover Boogie’ opens the two song encore before the evening closes with the ferocious ‘GFY’ and the realisation that when you see an Amyl And The Sniffers gig you witness something special. A band completely together, a band who feed off the energy of their audience, an energy that is stoked by the attitude and passion of the whirlwind that is Amy Taylor. Bring it all together and it’s an almost unstoppable force that leaves you completely burned out, longing for more but realising that neither the band nor the audience could have lasted much longer. Brilliant.
