Amyl and the Sniffers Rock Stupendously Hard

Only 48 hours after AC/DC rocked Nissan Stadium, Australia’s hardest-rockin’ band rocked a sold-out Marathon Music Works Friday night. That band was, of course, Melbourne party punk cyclone Amyl and the Sniffers. Yeah, that sounds like hyperbole. It isn’t. It’s hard to put into words just how hard this rock show rocked without writing The Great Australian-American Novella, but here goes.

There’s no greater thrill than catching a band in the throes of having a moment.

Nashville was the final sold-out stop on the band’s biggest U.S. headlining tour to date, and we encountered fans who traveled from destinations as far-flung as Toronto and Miami to celebrate it — the latter sporting a novelty shirt depicting the Buc-ee’s beaver as a punk, dripped out in Dead Kennedys and Circle Jerks logos and the anarchy “A.” (You love to see it.) Later on, we saw a guy in a tie-dye D.R.I. shirt, which is based AF. This was pretty much the general spirit as well-curated openers, beloved Philly foursome Sheer Mag, put the “power” in “power pop.” They offered up a 30-minute set of classic-rock-indebted, yacht-rock-infused, four-on-the-floor, fist-pump cowbell punk, which was warmly received. 

After a short changeover that still felt like an eternity, the Sniffers seized the stage like a SWAT team kicking down a door, arresting the senses from all sides. They opened with “Control,” a savage ripper from their 2019 self-titled debut whose opening line — “I like being a big bad boss” — rang out like a mission statement from frontwoman-on-fire Amy Taylor. From there it was banger after banger, banged out in rapid-fire, Ramones-like succession, by a band tighter than a virgin birth. 

Earlier we strolled down Clinton Street, taking in the multigenerational line of local and traveling punks — heads and faces punctuated by lip rings and liberty spikes — that stretched far down the block. The excitement and anticipation were palpable. Not only were these fans already rightfully in the tank for this band, but it was clear many were seeing them for the first time, eager to experience the cathartic, calisthenic stage show that’s quickly become the stuff of legend. The band has spread like a brush fire through concert halls and mega festivals across multiple continents. 

What the kids (and many of their parents) got Friday night was everything anyone could ever want from a rock show: good-natured aggression, buzz-saw riffs and the chance to be part of a crowd lost in itself. The audience sounded like the running of the bulls, clapping and stomping in lockstep to songs like “Security” and “Got You,” each stacked with Misfits-worthy gang-vocal shout-along choruses. This was all under the command of Taylor, an unapologetic ball of energy who flips the script on the phrase “blond bombshell.” Decked out in a rhinestone-festooned bikini top and short shorts, worn in defiance of critics who think women should be more conservative in expressing their sexuality, she spun, pogoed and threw blows at invisible haters, flexing her moves as empowerment like a punk rock Charlie’s Angel. 

That confidence was contagious. The band’s records couldn’t possibly prepare attendees for the power of hearing these songs with 1,500 fans belting out every word. And we’re talking EVERY. WORD. Next time Amyl and the Sniffers come to town, they’re gonna need a bigger boat.

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