It’s been two years since Amyl & The Sniffers were going to make their Twin Cities debut. Shows were moved to a different venue and then rescheduled and then rescheduled again and then cancelled. The first show was supposed to happen May 2nd 2020 at Turf Club and then moved to the main room at First Ave and then CANCELLED DUE TO A GLOBAL PANDEMIC and then the “rescheduled” date was supposed to happen later in the year once this covid 19 thing “blows over” on October 24th 2020 over at the Fine Line. Again, CANCELLED. Everyone I knew was overly excited to see this band and all the cancellations did was give us time to sit in our room blasting their music for another 2 years until the songs are etched in our brains. That last part might not have been anyone else besides me but I’d like to believe that there are more of people like me who did the same.
Late last year sometime in November I think, I opened up the dreaded Facebook and I see an event listing for AMYL & THE SNIFFERS at the Fine Line on Friday The 13th 2022. My eyes were wide. Two of my favorite things: LOUD ROCK & ROLL & Friday the 13th! To say I was excited would be an understatement. I was hyped and to add to the fact that I had a whole new album, “Comfort to Me” that would add new songs that I was begging to see live, I was beyond hyped.
Walking into the show I was a little afraid that after two long years of waiting that people wouldn’t show up or care anymore. Boy was I so happily wrong. This was the most packed I’ve seen the Fine Line in a LONG TIME. Apparently the show sold out instantly which I assume was from all the old date(s) ticket holders and then a few new ones. I don’t know how any of that works but I do know that the Twin Cities were ready.
First up on the show was C.O.F.F.I.N or Children Of Finland Fighting In Norway. They are another Australia based band and with them and Amyl & the Sniffers, I’m wondering what or who else is Australia hiding from us. Wow. I was awestruck. I knew I was supposed to be taking photos as well but I just couldn’t stop banging my head along with this band. A four-piece band with a very loud and animated drummer as the lead singer. Their sound was thick and loud and from my point of view, the crowd was eating this up.
As the band took the stage, Amy Taylor, the extremely energetic and enigmatic front woman of the band tells the crowd to “have fun and pick someone up if the fall”. That was basically the permission needed for this crowd to go ape shit. And ape shit they went.
After what seemed like a tamed crowd turned into waves and waves of movement. Feet, elbows and bodies drinks and shoes were flying. All that and the bands had just started playing.
The punk band from down under are no bull shit loud fast punk. The bass and drums and locked in tight, the guitar is loud and dirty and then there is Amy.
Amy Taylor might be one of the most active and intense singers I’ve seen. From jogging in place, marching up and down the stage, shadow boxing, strutting all over the place, flexing to her muscles. She does all and still sings at a loud excitable gusto. She packs a major energy punch that is contagious to the crowd. Every step she took from left to right of the stage, the waves of the crowd followed.
Over on guitar was Dec Martens, although nowhere as animated as Taylor, Martens was the other presence on the stage. When not shredding, he is singing, cracking jokes and at least last night, sharing peanuts with the crowd?
The heartbeat of the band, the rhythm section. On drums is Bryce Wilson and on bass is Fergus Romer. They were locked in together from the start and didn’t let up the entire night.
“I’ve got plenty of energy, it’s my currency, I spend, protect my energy, my currency” sings Taylor on the opening song of the night, Guided by Angels. It’s her own personal spiritual mantra of a song while repeatedly singing “Energy! It’s my currency!” Taylor knows her job and she does this well.
Not being able to see them when their first self-titled record came out in 2019, being able to hear the live and in person finally was everything it was supposed to be.
Everyone can relate to the song Gacked on Anger and the crowd screamed along word for word. “I wanna help out the people on the street, But how can I help them when I can’t afford to eat? How do I survive? How do I get by? I can’t go to sleep ’cause there’s trouble in my mind” sings Taylor and we can all relate to that.
It was hard NOT to keep your focus on Taylors manic stage presence. You never knew where or what she would do next. I tried to though to keep up with the rest of that band but Taylor is just a force to be reckoned with.
Now that the two year wait is finally over and I’ve collected my thoughts on this show, I’d be remiss to say that it was well worth the long wait. They hype, the intensity, the energy that this band notoriously brings to the stage is something that needs to seen in person. Their energy just oozes from the stage onto the crowd. We need more bands doing this. Hopefully it won’t be another two years till we see this band again.
