Review: Amyl and the Sniffers @ Hindley St Music Hall
Riding a dizzying high, Amyl and the Sniffers kicked off their entirely sold-out Australian tour in Adelaide, celebrating the band’s next ecstatic peak, Cartoon Darkness.
Words by Belinda Quick // Photos by Justin White
Amyl And The Sniffers w/Bad Dreems & Miss Kaninna @ Hindley St Music Hall 16/01/25
There's a certain trickiness in producing a tertiary record. Almost any group offering undeniable talent – regardless of genre, mainstream or fringe status, found in the right place and time – can earn themselves a debut. If fortune (not necessarily monetary) is found and favoured, the next step is confidence; leaning into that which elevates talent and uniquely defines.
It is at this crossroad though, that the proverbial charm can become a challenge. If overwhelm ensues, even in the most positive of ways, the saying ‘be careful what you wish for’ becomes one which carries drowning weight – where does the band go? How can the rise continue?
It is a question Naarm natives Amyl and the Sniffers need never ask themselves. Their quintessentially Australian, snarling brand of feminism is unabashedly confrontational and controversial, superseded by their raw talent. For the four-piece, this dream combination ensures the only way is up.
Defiantly holding place and opening the evening is proud Yorta Yorta, Kalkadoon, and Yirendali woman, Miss Kaninna. Self-proclaiming herself “an angry blak bitch … I don’t play punk, I don’t play rock music; we’re gonna start slow and then go fucking hard, alright?!” She stands a svelte figure, whose music may be different but whose strength and conviction echoes the same. She shares the stage only with drummer Micah, whose skills traverse hip-hop, funk, R&B and jazz, and his seated position is sheathed by an Aboriginal flag hung high.
Miss Kaninna’s lyrics carry depth of meaning, and musically, an energy defiant of her short career, only debuting with the overnight sensation ‘Blak Britney’ in 2023. The aforementioned closer – a “fuck you to the police, fuck you to the government” – laments living in a world that diminishes the significance of crimes against women. Personal and cultural experiences as a “sovereign woman living on stolen land” are viscerally communicated also, on behalf of First Nations people of Australia and abroad. Leading a chant of ‘Free Palestine’; revealing the ‘Dawg In Me’; “never apologising for speaking my mind on genocide” -- there’s no mistaking why this ‘Pinnacle Bitch’ is on the national bill.
If Amyl is quintessentially Australian, Bad//Dreems is similarly South Australian. Both share the labels of rock, punk and pub. But they are so much more than that simple definition – they are exceptionally layered groups. Anyone in the audience who still dares maintain such limited terms is destined to reframe their perspective by the close of the latter’s set, which ironically begins with ‘Dumb Ideas’.
Arriving on stage with a bottle of fine wine (gifted by The Note’s photographer, Justin White), vocalist Ben Marwe announces “I see dead people!”, nodding to The Sixth Sense and a double-entendre for the opening track’s theme. Continuing with pop culture references that disguise songs' greater meaning, ‘Mansfield 6.0’ creates another earthquake on Hindley Street. Without breath, instead taking a sip of red, Marwe screams into his collapsed, half-sized mike stand, then rising and raging like a wild fugitive before launching into ‘Naden’.
All songs intellectualised articulations: ‘Jack’ “is a serious song” on the ignorance of our nation’s hidden genocide; ‘Mob Rule’ seconds the tenor, a criticism of the ‘clusterfuck’ of modern politics in Australia. The entire band is powerful in bringing together Bad//Dreems’ performance. Marwe, as the frontman, is contradictorily visibile in camouflage as he thrashes upon Miles Wilson’s drum platform. With an Australiana-Henry Rollins-spoken word flavour, ‘See You Tomorrow’ is an ode to the world, philosophy, politics and Adelaide.
Between Bad//Dreems and Amyl and the Sniffers’ headline set, the seething 1500-strong crowd take up every inch of HSMH’s floorspace, testing security’s patience. Prodigy's ‘Firestarter’ adds fuel as Amy Taylor appears, instructing people to not “fucking touch anyone that doesn't wanna be touched, alright?” The frontwoman, clad in a tiny bikini top and yellow peekaboo hot pants, ensuring fiery second track ‘Freaks to the Front’ is friendly and refocused.
Taylor's tongue rolls, mimicking that of the titular Harley Davidson motorbike, as guitarist Declan Mehrtens says, “Oh, you've started a fire, Adelaide”. Hypnotised and stationary for a moment, the crowd is brought back to life as the band work through ‘Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled), ‘Knifey’ and ‘Guided by Angels’. Taylor, now flexing like a bodybuilder, is mighty, her words cutting sharp as she powers through ‘Pigs’.
Revealing the meaning of the tertiary album, Cartoon Darkness, as an indictment on the “dystopian present” and hyper-animated future that could ensue if we resist seeing from others perspectives, Amyl’s penchant for riotous fun is matched by intellectual depth. Amyl launches into the album’s profanity-laden opener Jerkin’ – an anthem for those rising above the bullshitters and nay-sayers. Lead single ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’ reinforces that energy, reminding the audience to ignore criticism and inner doubt, finding ways to push through.
The crowd inside the now damp Hindley St Music Hall are at fever pitch, an energy which only elevates when the four-piece wrap their indomitable performance on their mega-hit ‘Hertz’. An encore ensues as Amyl and the Sniffers leave the adoring Adelaide with the message that they simply ‘Don’t Give A Fuck’ with their cover of Boss’ hip-hop masterpiece.
Amyl & the Sniffers are well and truly established. Ready to take on any challenge and born to break moulds, the rule of threes simply does not apply.
Want more pics of the gig? Check out our full photo gallery here.
