Amyl and The Sniffers bring their raucous Australian pub punk to the Manchester Academy 9th November 2024
Opening the show are Atlanta natives Upchuck, loud fast and raucous to get everyone fired up for the main event.
Known for her stage outfits Amy Taylor walks out with her fellow bandmates looking relatively conservative in jeans boots and a tank top. Until she turns around to show off the two holes revealing her arse cheeks to the cheering crowd. Stepping to the mic she then tells the crowd to pick anyone up who falls, don’t touch anyone who doesn’t want to be touched and let’s get rowdy.
Kicking off with ‘Doing in My Head’ taken from their recently released 3rd studio album Cartoon Darkness. With its driving drums and catchy riff the crowd are immediately onboard, bouncing and chanting along. In true punk fashion the majority of A&TS songs are short sharp and punchy, and this is evident as the band waste no time in diving straight into ‘Freaks to the Front’ and then ‘Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)’, by which point the crowd are well and truly strapped in for the ride.
Using her platform for good, Amy then gives a brief speech about the current state of the world, drawing attention to the recent appointment of Trump as US President and ongoing troubles in the middle east. Acting as a rally cry to assemble the troops.
With the set-in full flow, I haven’t seen a mosh pit quite like this for a while, with wave after wave of both boys and girls freely crowd surfing their way to the front, and into the arms of the waiting security. With some people literally getting to the pit wall running back into the crowd and climbing back up for another ride.
Throughout the set Amy is an unstoppable force, leaping and charging around the stage almost challenging the 3 lads to keep up with her. This is no less apparent for ‘Security’, and ‘Guided by Angels’. With Taylor referencing to her seemingly endless energy as her currency. The tempo then drops a notch with ‘Knifey’, a track with powerful and visceral lyrics and a more relaxed and thoughtful feel.
Bringing everyone back up to the boil again is ‘Maggot’ which is exceptional and clearly a crowd favourite. This is followed up recent single ‘Chewing Gum’ with a shredding guitar riff, flowing into ‘Big Dreams’ an aspirational song that feels autobiographical about dragging yourself up and out to better things. The 22-song set is peppered with a good selection of new material, but you wouldn’t think this from watching the crowd’s reactions, singing the new songs word for word.
Over the last two albums the band have started to get a lot more recognition with airtime on BBC’s 6Music and a recent slot on Jools Holland’s Later on the BBC, which will have helped them no end to increase their fan base.
Rounding off the set with another favourite ‘Hertz’ the crowd are in fine voice as they shout along to the chorus ‘ Take me to the beach, take me to the country’, creating another beautiful moment of collective joy. With a brief pause we are into the encore with ‘Balaclava Lover Boogie’ and ‘GFY’, ending the show on a high.
Amyl and the Sniffers are a band that have a strong voice and lots of opinions and clearly something to say. This confidence and outspoken attitude is clearly something the world needs at the moment to help influence and drive change for the better.
Words and Photos by Michael Bond
1. Doing in Me Head
2. Freaks to the Front
3. Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)
4. Do It Do It
5. Security
6. Guided by Angels
7. Knifey
8. Bailing on Me
9. Maggot
10. Motorbike Song
11. Chewing Gum
12. Got You
13. Big Dreams
14. Pigs
15. Me and The Girls
16. Tiny Bikini
17. U Should Not Be Doing That
18. Facts
19. Jerkin’
20. Hertz
Encore:
21. Balaclava Lover Boogie
22. GFY
