You know we’ve reached peak Kate Bush when the crowd sings along to ‘Wuthering Heights’ as we wait for Amyl and the Sniffers to take the stage at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney.
It’s been quite a ride for the band, I first saw them in May 2019 at the Paddo RSL, since then they have conquered the world, playing Glastonbury and numerous other high-profile festivals. Tonight it feels like there are more people in the photography pit than audience members at the Paddo RSL that cold night 3 years ago. Legendary photographer Tony Mott is here too.
The crowd is exuberant and there is a mix of old and new punks, I can’t help but be reminded of the infamous Sex Pistols concert, attended by so few, yet so many of that audience went on to form bands and make an indelible mark on popular music. I suspect that Amyl and the Sniffers are having a similar effect in Australia and around the world.
The crowd erupts as the diminutive Amy Taylor prances onto the stage. She has a bottle of champagne at the ready and soon those pushed up against the barrier are doused in bubbly. This is the first salvo of objects that are thrown from the stage into audience and then back at the band again. I see a VB can whiz by my head and Amy retrieves a number of bras that are thrown her way.
The band is electric, astonishingly so. Driven ever forward by the dynamic Taylor they deliver a non-stop serving of punk rock that pile drives the audience into blissful submission. Even Gus Romer who usually maintains a cool distance from the audience, exhorts the crowd to get involved. And get involved they do.
The security guards are kept busy as there is a seemingly endless flood of crowd surfers that need to be rescued from the railings. There are signs up saying that crowd surfing is illegal, but no one seems to care or notice. Fearless Amy dives head first into the audience, her free styling as she surfs the crowd would make Dawn Fraser proud. Bondi Rescue has nothing on what’s happening at the Enmore tonight.
The band pummel their way through the setlist and invite their mates, Coffin on stage for the last song. More champagne is popped and the the two bands and their entourage enjoy a party on stage as the crowd continues to watch and be enthralled by it all.
Amyl and the Sniffers are surely one of the most explosive live bands on the planet right now. They are a class act and despite all the fame that has come their way it is clear that they are still as excited and motivated by their love of music as they were 3 years ago when they were still relatively unknown.
Words and Images: Deborah Pelser www.DeborahPelser.com
Setlist
Balaclava
Choices
Westgate
Guided By Angels
Freaks to the Front
Shake U
Capital
Security
Control
Guided By Angels
Got You
Starfire 500
Maggot
No More Tears
Shake U
Knifey
GFY
Don’t Need A Cunt
Don’t Fence Me In
Hertz
Some Mutts Can’t Be Muzzled
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