REVIEW: AMYL + THE SNIFFERS @ BIG NIGHT LIVE 9/25

By Josephine Best (Photo Credit: Jamie Wdziekonski)

Amyl and the Sniffers know they need no introduction, and that is why they walked onto the stage, not to an anthem, but an Australian children’s lullaby about kangaroos. The song was a testament to their nonconformist style and only a precursor of what was to follow. 

Each bandmate was dressed for an entirely different occasion. Frontwoman Amy Taylor was in a black leotard embedded with gemstones. She also debuted a fresh new cut of her iconic platinum mullet. Guitarist Dec Mehrtens, whose hair could rival Robert Plant’s, sported a cowboy-esque outfit with Adidas Sambas to complete the look. Drummer Bryce Wilson draped himself in a bright blue jersey and matching shorts. And Bassist Gus Romer was cosplaying as Mark Renton from Trainspotting. The one thing they each had in common in their appearance was that they all accessorized with a drink in their hand. 

Taylor kept hers close and managed to perform the most intense headbanging I have ever seen without spilling a drop. She did this while the rest of the band settled into their instruments. Once they were set, Taylor screeched, “WAY WAY WAY! GET ROWDY!” Before diving straight into “Control” for their first track of the night. The congregation responded immediately. And the floor, located on the second level of the building, began to bounce as if it were caving in. 

Amyl and the Sniffers’ know the effect they can have on an audience and promote what they like to call “consensual violence”. Taylor described it in an interview with the BBC as, “I like that everyone gets their violence out in a consensual place where you can shove everyone but it’s friendly, whereas any other place if you just shove somebody that would be like ‘what the hell are you doing?’ […] It’s fun to have a bit of power and get real rowdy.” That isn’t to say that they want an all-out brawl. They want their listeners infected by the rage inside their songs. 

Before continuing into their second song of the night, Taylor finally addressed the crowd, “Hey, Boston, it’s a pleasure to be here. Look out for yourselves and look out for each other, and we won’t have any trouble.” Throughout the evening, she made sure to instruct the crowd to be respectful to others in the audience. Then she orchestrated the design of the pit by playing their second song of the night, “Freaks to the Front.”

Taylor seemed to be called by her own words and descended from the stage towards the crowd. With her hands outstretched towards raging fans, she juxtaposed her actions by singing, “GET ON MY LEVEL / OR GET OUT OF MY WAY / DON’T BLOODY TOUCH ME / GIVE ME SOME SPACE!”

It was then that a few loyal listeners took her words to heart and began to scrap with each other. Quickly the mosh pit turned into a fighting ring, and like a drop in the water, it rippled through the crowd. Security guards pushed their way through the vibrating colony. Before they could get to the culprits, the song had ended. Taylor, now back on stage, waltzed to the side of the platform to get a better look. Before addressing the combatants, she smiled endearingly at the fans, who had turned their attention towards her. “You’ve got about 10 seconds to sort that out between the lot of yous,” she said. And the rest of the audience watched as two giant guards dragged out the brawlers. 

Unexpectedly, the action didn’t restrain itself to the ground floor. About two songs after the first fight, a congregant scurried through the crowd and burst over the barricade before grappling onto the stage. He didn’t mess with the band (a cardinal sin). He just performed some of the worst dance moves known to man and then front-flipped into the crowd. 

Used to this kind of scene, Amyl and the Sniffers grinned at the action and continued without a second thought. 

Now halfway through the set. The effects of the band’s drinking began to take hold. The end of “Choices” saw Romer dart off the stage. Taylor took to the mic to keep the crowd updated as well as entertained. “Give it up for Gus. He’s taking a piss right now!” Taylor proclaimed. Mehrtens joined in with, “Well, if Gus is taking a piss, then I better take a s—!”

When Romer had returned, it was time for “Knifey.” An anthem about the reality of women trying to walk home at night. Taylor announced it by stating, “People think if you wear something skanky, it’s for them. F— off ya c—!” She then dedicated the song, “This is for all the ladies and nonbinary!” The bass kicked in with the ominous intro that exudes the feeling of danger.

All the ladies and nonbinary fans headed Taylor’s call and muscled their way to the front. The crowd wailed the loudest of the night to the sound of, “OUTCOMES THE NIGHT, OUTCOMES MY KNIFEY / THIS IS HOW I GET HOME NICELY!” 

Before the track had ended, Taylor called out, “If you don’t know what that song’s about. You should know! Everyone knows what that song is about. Everyone’s got a f—ing friend!”

Amyl and the Sniffers continued into their next song. Taylor readied herself by changing to a squat position and began to beat her thighs to the sound of the drums. Watching her on stage was like watching a snake. Her beady eyes are constantly filled with energy and anger. Her sharp tongue constantly darting out of her mouth, making a face at the crowd or rapidly licking her lips. She moved rigidly and boneless at the same time, slithering from the left to the right of the stage, hissing at the crowd in between songs through a thick Australian accent. 

It was this stage presence that kept your eyes from darting to the consistent brawls occurring three feet away from you. It kept your eyes centered even when a security guard stood tall, flashing a light inches from your face. When you received a blow to the back of your head or your back from a straggler lost in the mosh. To command this attention while inciting so much action takes a keen talent. One that Amyl and the Sniffers have managed to hone into pure “consensual violence.”