On Monday, March 31st, Australian punk phenoms Amyl and the Sniffers came to the Mission Ballroom on their “Cartoon Darkness” World Tour supporting their eponymous album released last year. The show was ferocious, a searingly cathartic scream filled with the anger and frustration elicited by the state of the world today. But there was also so much hope and joy in that packed room on Monday as fans moshed away their troubles for a time and raged, raged against the dying of the light.
It was the kind of show that inspires the shattering of societal systems by collectively celebrating all that makes us individuals and rejecting prejudice in all forms. If that many people can gather in a room as large as the Mission Ballroom to reject hate and literally throw themselves headfirst towards love, there may just be hope for us yet.
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Philly-based rock up-and-comers Sheer Mag kicked things off with an extremely high-energy, if quite quick, set. They have this classic rock sound that feels like it’s unstuck in time, bouncing around between eras and picking up influences from all of them. Though Sheer Mag initially debuted in 2014, they recently signed to Jack White’s Third Man Records and have just released their first new music in four years, making them definitely one to watch in the coming years.
During Sheer Mag’s set, the Mission filled up fit to burst. Truly, this writer doesn’t believe he’s seen the Mission more packed, surprising given that it was a Monday night. Part of this overflowing feeling was contributed to by the massive pit that formed and engulfed most of the venue, but still, regardless of the pit, it was an ocean of people, all allowing Amyl and the Sniffers to light fires in their chests.
Not long after Sheer Mag’s set ended, Amyl and the Sniffers hit the stage to near-deafening applause. Lead singer Amy Taylor beamed out over the crowd as the band launched into the first songs of the set, which featured “Control” and two songs with which this writer was admittedly unfamiliar. However, they set the stage perfectly: loud, fast and filled with heart. They followed this initial song block with “Security,” a favorite that served as an introduction to Amyl and the Sniffers for many. Here, the show truly took hold as fans screamed every word as they pushed and climbed over each other, the crowd surfing that would occur throughout the night fully underway.
Next came “Chewing Gum,” a heavy rock love song off Cartoon Darkness that feels as chaotic as actually being in love. It ended in this sort of call-and-response chant led by bassist Gus Romer. This was the first of what would be a few instances of audience participation, which all served to bond the crowd to the band even further. The chant led into “Do It Do It,” a dancey tune that feels like being peer pressured into some bad but very fun behavior.
The band then quieted down a bit for the first time to let Taylor talk to the crowd for a moment. She took the time to rail against the current American presidential administration, saying, “He doesn’t have to be your president” which was met with widespread applause and chants of “Fuck Donald Trump.” She then addressed all the queer, trans and immigrant friends in attendance, telling them that they were always safe with her and that the world is a better place with them in it as well as calling for a Free Palestine. The moment passed quickly, but it really did indicate the true meaning behind Amyl and the Sniffers. As loud and raunchy and heavy as the music is, at the end of the day, the band is all about love. You might get pushed around at an Amyl and the Sniffers show, but they are ultimately safe spaces meant for those with compassion in their hearts.
This beautiful moment passed as quickly as it came and was followed fittingly by “Freaks to the Front.” The song is blistering, a call to arms for those who feel othered in this modern world. It’s a call for courage, to stand loud and proud in all your glory for all to see. Embrace what makes you different — for that’s what makes you you — and let that freak flag fly.
Next came another love-focused song with “Got You,” which ended with another audience participation moment. Romer started chanting “Oi, oi,” and the crowd responded with variations on the saying, getting weirder with it as it went on.
This led into the soul-searing “Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled).” The song is punk rock through and through, a middle finger to any who might try to silence Taylor or anyone else using their voice to speak out. The song features a guitar solo that extends longer than most other solos found in Amyl and the Sniffers’ music. While the band shredded, Taylor stood at front-center stage and flexed her arms and back and felt herself up as the crowd cheered her on. It proved an example of the confidence that Taylor absolutely radiates. She truly was such a magnetic presence on stage, her hair shining golden in the stagelight as she stuck her tongue out in between screaming lyrics celebrating love, debauchery and individuality.
They followed “Some Mutts” with a stripped-down, twangy, almost speed-grass tune that this writer was unfamiliar with. It happened fast, no more than a minute. Once it ended, Taylor asked the crowd if they were okay with the band slowing it down for a song. As the early chords of “Big Dreams” began to ring out, Taylor dedicated the song to a group of young women in the crowd whom Taylor said she’d had her eye on all night. It fit the song perfectly, which is about overcoming doubt and seemingly impossible circumstances in order to achieve your dreams and become the person you were always meant to be.
The band returned to the ferocity as soon as the song came to an end with another song this writer didn’t know but goddamn, it was heavy and mean and had the whole room breaking their necks. It ended in a drum solo that the band slowly started to form into the fan-favorite “Guided by Angels,” which eventually had the whole crowd screaming each word as loudly as possible.
It bears mentioning that while Taylor is the obvious focal point, the band as a whole is an incredibly cohesive unit. Amyl and the Sniffers consists of Taylor on vocals, Gus Romer on bass, Bryce Wilson on drums and Declan Mehrtens on guitar. They all meld together so well to create such a huge, distinct sound that would be recognizable even without Taylor’s iconic voice.
Once “Guided by Angels” came to an end, Taylor once again took a moment to address the crowd. This time, she spoke out against the rampant domestic and sexual violence perpetrated against women in Australia. She also acknowledged that this doesn’t just occur in her home country, but that she was speaking from her personal perspective. She called on the male presenting people in the crowd to “call out piece of shit dudes” in order to attempt to make this world a safer place for women to live in. The speech led into “Knifey,” a rather somber and rightfully angry tune that deals with the aforementioned themes, featuring lyrics such as “All I ever wanted was to walk by the river, see the stars/ Please, stop fucking me up.”
At this point, time was beginning to run short and the set began moving even faster than it had been thus far. “Jerkin'” was up next, another fan-favorite off Cartoon Darkness. The song is an incredibly vulgar “fuck you” to critics who have come after Taylor based on her persona or what she chooses to wear. Featuring lyrics that can’t exactly be reprinted here, the crowd nevertheless screamed every word while making a certain hand gesture in the air whenever the chorus hit.
“Tiny Bikini” was up next, a song that shares themes similar to the “Jerkin'” but is spun in a much more playful, positive, self-celebrating light. As the song ended, Taylor told the Denver crowd that they had been their favorite Amyl and the Sniffers had played for on their world tour so far and that they only had a couple more songs left.
“U Should Not Be Doing That,” arguably one of the band’s biggest hits to date, was the penultimate song of the set. While not as fast or in your face as some of Amyl and the Sniffers’ other songs, as soon as that bass line started rolling in, the crowd went into an absolute frenzy. They once again reached near-deafening volume levels as they poured out each word from the depths of their very souls. The tune is such a well-rounded rock song, rollicking, defiant and features some crazy late-song guitar work on top of the rolling bass line and steady drums. It was the perfect way to ease into the night’s conclusion.
Finally, the set ended with “Hertz,” definitely the band’s most well-known song. The crowd gave every last bit of energy they had left as they screamed along with Taylor before the song and the set came to an end.
The band returned swiftly for an encore consisting of two deep-cut songs that this writer once again did not know. Nevertheless, the encore served as the perfect punctuation for a show that lit a fire in the hearts of all in attendance. The band once again thanked everyone for coming out and then left the audience to carry their fires out into the chilly, early night air.
All photography courtesy of David Cohn.