Amyl And The Sniffers

With The Bigoter

X-Tra Zurich, 8 July

Next up on this year’s Interrail European Tour took us to Zurich to watch the bundle of energy that is Amy Taylor front her band Amyl And The Sniffers. As if they have recently materialised from the Australian Outback, they are on the lips of everyone with a smudging of an interest in Punk/Pub/High Energy Rock.

Like many others though, they have earned their spurs touring and recording over the past seven or eight years or more. They have honed their image. Well Amy has honed her image; the three other band members look like three blokes who are having the fun of their lives.

The venue X-TRA, not dissimilar in style to the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh, was heaving, with a considerable minority actively involved and encouraged to do their thing in the mosh pit. ‘Body surfing tonight sir? Not a problem, head that way and we’ll re-direct you back in.’

How would you describe the band. They aren’t necessarily a punk band but they’re not short of punk spirit, both in their fierce, over-the-top performance style and in their beliefs, which they use their platform to voice, especially after the recent controversy over acts like Kneecap and Bob Vylan.

It would be interesting to lift the vocals off the mix of their recorded music as I suspect underneath the vocal ferocity provided by Amy, there’s a pub/garage rock band dying to take centre stage.

Guitarist Declan Mehrtens isn’t shy at showing off his dexterity along the fret board on more than a couple of occasions while drummer Bryce Wilson and bassist Gus Romer lay down a steady rock beat throughout each adding backing vocals as a counterpoint to Amy’s high-pitched delivery.

Like Amy herself, the energy across the entire room never dissipates. She is the band’s core, and it could be argued that she is the outstanding frontwoman of this generation. She is supremely talented, charismatic, outspoken, and absolutely wild on stage. We were left to think she has inherited the genes of a previous generation – Debbie Harry, Suzy Quatro, Shirley Manson, Joan Jett. All from a previous generation. All instantly recognisable in their delivery. Amy has taken the baton and running at full pelt with it.

It’s not just the personality though that carries the night. A gig is only as good as the whole ensemble who are there to entertain and the songs were dynamic variations of those put down on vinyl, especially from their most recent album Cartoon Darkness.

The band are on an upward arc. How far they go is anyone’s guess, but I suspect there are more energetic nights like this to look forward to.

Support, Big Noter

The support was provided by BIG NOTER, an all-new project from Aboriginal Australian icon BRIGGS.

They are described as BRIGGS trading hip-hop beats for guitar riffs, BIG NOTER is a sonic return to the heavy sounds he grew up on, tapping into his hardcore, punk and metal roots, with a full live band in tow.

What was evident was that the rap style remained throughout with BRIGGS at the forefront, though the band were allowed to enjoy themselves throughout the set, guitar solos, the dynamism of drums and bass in tandem all providing the energy that would be taken up a level by Amyl And The Sniffers.

Short, dynamic, enjoyable. Isn’t that what support acts are all brought on board for?