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Amyl and the Sniffers / Photo – @debkloedenphotography

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AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
+ Bad//Dreems
+ Miss Kaninna
@ Hindley St Music Hall,
Adelaide,
16th January 2025
(Live Review)

Review by Colin Reid

Photos by Deb Kloeden (@debkloedenphotography)

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Amyl and the Sniffers / Photo – @debkloedenphotography

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The Hindley Street Music Hall in Adelaide hosted the opening night of the Australian leg of Amyl and The Sniffers “Cartoon Darkness” tour.  This gig had sold out in no time at all and there were plenty in the city rueing the fact that they couldn’t get a ticket for what promised to be an amazing show.

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Miss Kaninna / Photo – @debkloedenphotography

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Doors opened early and first support, 2023 J Award winner, Miss Kaninna hit the stage prompt at 7:30pm.  Somewhat reminiscent of US rapper Cardi B, another strong female artist known for her unfiltered lyrics, Miss Kaninna exuded confidence and passion and was in no way overawed by opening the show.  At one point she called out to the crowd “I can’t believe I’m opening for f#%king Amyl and the Sniffers” Performing with only a drummer, whose kit was draped in the Aboriginal Flag, as live backing she prowled over every available part of the stage both looking and sounding great. She was working the stage and the crowd like she had owned them her entire life, with her ARIA nominated single ‘Black Britney’ being a stand out.  As her set went on, she spent the time in between songs to speak her mind on a range of subjects: Palestine; women’s rights; Aboriginal rights; Deaths in custody etc.  The lyrics of her songs are powerful, deliver message and mean something important but I felt that for every person she encouraged to join in with chants of “Free Palestine” or “Fuck the Police” she alienated another and perhaps her message only got to the already converted.

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Bad//Dreems / Photo – @debkloedenphotography

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I’d been expecting UK grime rap punk artists Bob Vylan to be next on-stage.  If there was an announcement as to why they weren’t there then I missed it.  I’d been really looking forward to seeing the two ‘Bobs’ and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one disappointed as I’d spied a few Bob Vylan t-shirts in the crowd earlier.  This minor let down was immediately dispelled when I realised that local Adelaide stalwarts Bad//Dreems were filling the gap in the program although I did wonder how that would sit with them given their recent appearance on ABCs Four Corners television show deriding the Live Nation event corporation’s exploitation of artists.

They kicked off their set with a kick ass version of their single ‘Dumb Ideas’, its opening notes tearing a sonic hole throughout the room.  It took a couple of songs before singer Ben Marwe acknowledged the crowd “We’re Bad Dreems and we’re from where you are”.  I’ve been lucky enough to see them a few times and can honestly say that they were on fire tonight; a loud tight unit who obviously love playing together.  There was a real stage chemistry between the band members.  As expected, there was a dig at Live Nation “If you visit the merch stand and buy a t-shirt you can donate 20% to Live Nation” he quipped.

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Bad//Dreems / Photo – @debkloedenphotography

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“Jack” was brilliant as was “Cuffed and Collared”, a song that threatened to blow the roof off.  Ben looked out at the crowd, packed in tight, and commented “Thursday night in Adelaide, what the F#%k!” almost in disbelief at the size of the crowd.  They closed out their all too brief set with their cover of ‘My Pal’ by God which is surely one of the greatest Australian rock songs ever written.

Now for the main event. The dance floor was packed, the crowd full of expectation and a cacophony of noise erupted to greets Amyl and The Sniffers as they took the stage. It didn’t seem possible but the energy hit another level!

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Amyl and the Sniffers / Photo – @debkloedenphotography

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They were incredibly loud, the band pumping their guitars out through double stacks of speakers either side of the stage which were cranking out a big sound. Declan Mehrtens with his big hair and shirt opened, playing an Ibanez Destroyer guitar looked and sounded amazing, thank God for ear plugs or my ears would still be ringing as I’m writing this! Vocalist Amy, wearing a bikini bra top decorated with a bear on each bra cup, was an incredible, unstoppable ball of energy bursting everywhere across the stage as they launched into ‘Doing In Me Head’ from the new album. She simple never stops; bouncing across the stage, head shaking and that Farrah Fawcett hair swinging, making faces, poking her tongue out and generally having the best time possible.

This band gave 100% and the crowd responds accordingly. There was so much energy in this crowd that it felt like the building itself was bouncing.  It is great to be in a venue that is this full and to be part of a gig that is this good; there is no doubt that this is a proper gig!  Amy is a great frontwoman, she communicates with the crowd, she acknowledges the opening bands and she gives shout outs to Adelaide “It’s been a long time since we were in Adelaide … Who came to see us the very first time at The Cranker? Thanks for sticking with us”.  The crowd loves it.  Known for a really strong stance of behaviour and safety, particularly for women, at gigs Amy tells the crowd “Don’t touch anybody who doesn’t want to be touched”.  This is one of the hardest rock shows and it is great to see that it has one of the highest proportions of women in the crowd.

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Amyl and the Sniffers / Photo – @debkloedenphotography

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Throughout the show the whole concert is live streamed onto the venue’s giant screen behind the band.  It alternates between capturing the band and capturing the crowd. It projects our energy back to us in real time, mirroring and magnifying the intensity of the experience.

There are so many highlights and for the crowd who have arms aloft, pumping the air it is a primal, animalist pure rock n roll experience! ‘Security’ and ‘Some Mutts’ are massive songs in the front half of the set.  “Its bloody hot up here” says one of the band members, I reckon they only have themselves to blame, they’ve started a fire in here tonight and we are all feeling it!

Once again, Amy calls out Australia’s terrible record on violence against women and they launch into ‘Knifey’ closely followed by ‘Guided by Angels’.  So many big songs and we are only half way through the set!

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Amyl and the Sniffers / Photo – @debkloedenphotography

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The set crashes on. The bracket of ‘Jerkin’, ‘Tiny Bikini’ and ‘Me and the Girls’ raises the bar even higher. They get louder and more energetic with each song and the crowd sings along with them all.  The regular set has to finish somewhere and it comes to an end with ‘Heartz’; There is time for a last squat, hair tease and tongue poke from Amy and they are gone for a very short break.

Drummer Bryce Wilson promises one more song to the crowd and it starts all over again. The guitar is screaming, the bass thumping, Amy bouncing and twisting and Bryce howls into his backing mic as they go into ‘Balaclava Lover Boogie’ the only song they played from 2017s ‘Big Attraction’.  Luckily for the crowd they love us enough to play a second song, a cover of ‘I don’t Give a F#%k’.  No one wants this night to end but end it does with Amy and Declan linking arms and having a little jig around the stage and Amy giving us one last big smile and a wave.  All in all, it has been a brilliant night.

The tour continues across Australia this month and then New Zealand with C.O.F.F.I.N. in February so go see them if you get a chance, you won’t regret it!

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Amyl and the Sniffers / Photo – @debkloedenphotography

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Check out Deb Kloeden’s (@debkloedenphotography) full gallery of this event HERE

Check out Adrian Thomson’s (@_awii_) full gallery of the Perth event HERE

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Amyl and the Sniffers / Photo – @debkloedenphotography

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Follow AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
Website – Instagram – Facebook – Twitter

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Press Release 13th December 2024 (below) HERE

AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
Australian Tour
starts next month

New Album
CARTOON DARKNESS
Out Now

LISTEN HERE

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AMNPLIFY – DB