Amyl and The Sniffers have had a meteoric rise over their decade or so together as a band – starting out playing small bandrooms around their home town of Naarm/ Melbourne to conquering world stages.
Last Friday (24 January) 24 they returned for a massive hometown show at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. So far this summer Sidney Myer Music Bowl has seen notable international acts come through – last week alone saw IDLES, Leon Bridges and capping it off Amyl and The Sniffers.From humble beginnings, Amyl and The Sniffers are now dominating the biggest stages the world has to offer. They have sold-out three nights at London's The Roundhouse with a 3,000 person capacity and have an upcoming support for Fontaines D.C. at Finsbury Park with a 45,000 person capacity. Sidney Myer Music Bowl is their biggest hometown show yet and with a venue capacity of 12,000 they almost sold it out on a warm January evening.
Fervent fans of the band, many of whom would have followed their rise jumping on the bandwagon at different points of the rise, were ready for whatever was thrown at them.
Amyl and The Sniffers are known for bold moves and booking Miss Kannina as support is bold when many are ready for a night of rowdy pub punk. Miss Kaninna's blend of R&B and hip hop in some ways a leftfield choice in terms of music style, but in terms of message and themes in music it made complete sense and was an excellent way to open up the evening.
Miss Kaninna, a proud Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirandhali woman from Lutruwita/ Tasmania, payed a short and impactful set. Despite being worlds away musically from Amyl and The Sniffers, it was well received from the crowd that had turned out early.
There is a definitely a streak of punk spirit in the music Miss Kannina makes. There are political messages of the harm that the police have caused particularly in First Nations communities coupled with messages of self-empowerment.
Bob Vylan and Amyl and The Sniffers paths first crossed on the international punk touring circuit, and there was a sense of excitement as the English duo made their way onstage. With both members called Bob, there was a dual sense of humour and sincerity throughout their set.
They started the set with some mindfulness and light stretches as the drummer (Bobbie) pounded away, before cracking into a performance that started with the message of empowerment that is 'Dream Big'; there was a hope from many in the crowd that Amy Taylor would come out for the recently released 'Dream Bigger', but this did not eventuate.
'He's A Man' highlighted the problem society has with gendered violence and misogyny. While a cry of "always was always will be" prior to 'We Live Here' showed both an understanding of the country they're touring as well as highlighting the universality that racism has.
Although both support acts diverted from straight-up pub-punk style, there was a commonality throughout each act in message and ethos.
Amyl and The Sniffers came onstage to dance song 'Destination Unknown' and there was a palpable sense of excitement felt throughout the crowd. The majority of the set was taken from recent album 'Cartoon Darkness'. However, there were favourites from other releases sprinkled throughout. The first few songs flipped between 'Cartoon Darkness' and 'Comfort To Me', with 'Security' an early highlight.
Wearing a bikini and skirt crafted out of whoopee cushions, Amy Taylor is one of the most energetic and ferocious lead singers around. She ran and threw herself around the stage for the entirety of the 90-minute set.
The band has so many bangers, every song was lapped up by the crowd and felt like its own special moment. Having warmed into the set, 'Freaks To The Front' felt like an anthem for everyone who was there; it found Amy at the barricade giving love to those at the very front of the Bowl.
Amy made sure to make the most of the microphone delivering some heartfelt and important speeches in her own idiosyncratic way; touching on American politics and the problems that are being created there, she rather succinctly said "Trump sucks my arse".
Amy brought it closer to home when she called on white people to do the work re: 26 January. 'Knifey' was a song Amy dedicated to the 101 women killed by male violence in Australia in 2024, and she extended that to all those who have been impacted by gendered violence.
The backend of the set was filled with 'Big Dreams' from recent album 'Cartoon Darkness' then 'I'm Not A Loser' from 2017 EP 'Big Attraction' before finishing with 'U Should Not Be Doing That'. With a feeling of triumphant, there was a sense of empowerment felt in these tracks.
Amyl and The Sniffers returned to the city where it all started for them and showed the hometown crowd why they're so loved all around the world.
