Concert Review: Amyl and The Sniffers at Stubbs

By Lillian Jones

Local Music Director

Walking down Red River St. towards Stubbs, the wind blew a cold chill onto the bareskin of my arms, but I knew this wouldn’t last long. Ignoring the weather, I prepared myself for the body heat of the Amyl and the Sniffers crowd. Arriving at 7PM on April 5th, the sold out show had built a line of people around the block as they waited with buzzing anticipation to be let through the door. Making our way inside, my friend and I found a spot seemingly perfect. It was in the crowd, but not too in the crowd to where it would be uncomfortable — or so we thought. 

I was introduced to the Australian band, Amyl and the Sniffers, back in 2023 when Austin band, Die Spitz, announced they would be supporting their USA tour. What intrigued me about Amyl and The Sniffers was their similarity to Die Spitz in the way they take up space in a male dominated industry. While Amyl is made up of three men and one woman, Amy Taylor is the powerhouse representation that women in the music scene need. Her “doesn’t give a f*ck” attitude can be comparable to a modern day Kathleen Hanna — if Kathleen Hanna was blonde, ripped and had a strong Aussie accent. While I had been familiar with their work for a year, I didn’t become a true fan until the release of the single, “Jerkin’” off of their 2024 album, Cartoon Darkness. The single was catchy, sassy and vulgar. Shortly after, I got to listen to the full album and fell in love. 

Waiting for Amyl to start, a mixture of music played quietly from the speakers when suddenly the band walked out and an uproar from the crowd began. Bassist, Gus Romer, made his way to the mic on left-stage and yelled, “Oi!Oi!”, getting the fans even more ecstatic before the star of the show, Amy Taylor, walked out. Immediately, the crowd squeezed forward as the front woman took center-stage. She donned her staple platinum blonde ‘80s style blowout, bright makeup and a black, denim one piece with rhinestones, pink bloomers underneath and matching pink boots. 

After sharing a few words, Taylor jumped into the first song of the night, “Control”.Without a second to waste, the crowd began pushing and I was thrown into the thick of it. Although I tried my best to stand my ground, it was physically impossible. The full force of people was pushing me from all sides. My toes and ankles were being stepped on simultaneously and if I put my arms in the air, I was no longer able to put them down. Three songs in, I questioned if this was even enjoyable. Was anyone in the crowd actually able to have a good time without the worry of being trampled? What was the pleasure of being tossed around instead of being able to pay attention to the performance? At times, I wished I would pass out so that I would have better writing material than, “I couldn’t put my arms down to write notes, or take pictures and I was focused on not dying”, but alas, I remained fully conscious. 

Eventually, I used the movement of the crowd to my advantage, pushing myself towards my friend who had moved up slightly behind the barricade. Near the front, the momentum of the crowd was much more manageable. I was finally able to focus on what I had come for. 

While the entire band has charismatic energy, lead vocalist, Amy Taylor, is the main attraction. Her magnetic energy is what causes the chaos as everyone strives to be closer to the stage; closer to Taylor. Each song, she moves around the stage, kicking, squatting and of course, flexing her muscles. She’s a physical embodiment of the message repeated in her music — women are strong too! 

 In between songs, Taylor would talk about the messages their music wants to give to the world. Their 2021 album, Comfort To Me, was more about Taylor’s own personal struggles with songs like “Security”, “Knifey”, and “Don’t Need A C*nt (Like You To Love Me)”. Cartoon Darkness was inspired by Taylor seeing how much darkness is in the world right now. She talked about how we should be sympathetic to all people currently suffering from world leaders choices such as the people in Palestine and LGBTQ+ people in America. It was a reminder to be grateful that we could all gather to enjoy art and have fun while others might not have that privilege. 

While it took a second (or twenty minutes) for me to actually be able to have a pleasant time in the rambunctious crowd, Amyl and The Sniffers are definitely a band worth seeing live. I wouldn’t have been mad if I had ended up passing out. It would have been worth it!