“What the fuck is up Reading?” asks Amyl & The Sniffers frontwoman Amy Taylor, knowing full well what hedonism awaits those finding their seventh or eighth wind as the sun bakes Little John’s Farm. “You better show Leeds what you’re made of. You’ve got some competition.”
Challenge accepted. It’s seconds in as circle pits erupt sending spirals of thick golden dust skyward. These Aussie punks come loaded with all that Antipodean potential for an automatic rager; their pummelling but ramshackle sound held together by chaos and chemistry as people tumble around them. “Let me in your hard heart, let me in your pub,” pleads Taylor on the opening ‘Security’, cutting to the core of the band. They sound dangerous, but – as they promise – “I’m not looking for trouble, I’m looking for love“. They’re the feel-good party band raging on as the barroom brawl gets wild and the saloon doors swing in the wind.
We’re mainlining serotonin, reflecting that mantra on ‘Guided By Angels’ – “I’ve got plenty of energy, it’s my currency” – and Amyl are big spenders. But it’s not all about moshing and excess. This is about community. The first shriek of “Free Palestiiiiiine” is met with a roar, then Taylor quickly unloads: “I want to say fuck J.K. Rowling, and I want to say my heart is with the people in Palestine. It takes nothing to think about that kind of thing and talk about that kind of thing, and any kind of action is some kind of action. What else can I say? I guess fuck Trump, haha! That’s it, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Fair enough. At a time when other festivals are shutting bands down for speaking their truth and the BBC are cutting out the most essential speeches from artists’ sets, it’s good to have someone free to speak out and have their voices heard and reciprocated. All that’s left to do now is party.
As Taylor flexes her muscles and her banter-filled, boisterous bandmates slap one another’s arses and lead chants of “OI! OI! OI! OI!”, this little pocket of joy feels weirdly like one of the few places on Earth that makes sense amid all the fuckery of the world. And this, pure unbridled punk pleasure, is exactly what the iconic Reading & Leeds main stage was built for – especially at this sweet pre-sunset slot.
“People get confused if a lady dresses skanky,” muses Taylor, introducing new album ‘Cartoon Darkness’ banger ‘You Should Not Be Doing That’. “They think she’s doing it for someone else. Nah, she just wants her arse cheeks out.” For a new generation, she’s Poly Styrene, she’s Iggy Pop, and best of all, she’s Amy fucking Taylor. The next time that Amyl & The Sniffers are back on these shores is for their biggest UK gig at London’s Ally Pally in November. Make damn sure you’re there. This is exactly what you should be doing.
Amyl & The Sniffers played:
‘Security’
‘Chewing Gum’
‘Got You’
‘Guided by Angels’
‘Tiny Bikini’
‘Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)’
‘U Should Not Be Doing That’
‘Doing in Me Head’
‘Jerkin’
‘Hertz’
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