Amyl and the Sniffers @ Freo.Social
w/ C.O.F.F.I.N., Body Horrors
Sunday, August 7, 2022
Amyl and The Sniffers have been around for a few years now, but their latest album Comfort To Me seems to have struck a chord with people all over the globe and catapulted them to rock star status. With a recent set at Glastonbury under their belts, a national tour wrapping up, and several international tours on the horizon, their punk steam train rolled into Freo town on Sunday night for a sold out gig.
Kicking off proceedings were local self-described synth punks, Body Horrors. The massive queue outside meant a lot of people missed the majority of their set, which they raced through, citing nerves. Perhaps it was these nerves that meant they had their concentration faces on, as it felt like they just played their set rather than performed it. That said, there’s a lot of promise with this band and with a bit of time, they will be great to watch.
C.O.F.F.I.N. joined the headliners on tour around the country, and it’s obvious why. They immediately packed a punch and got the crowd going. Sporting a bandana, their drummer sat front and centre singing over heavy punk/pub rock riffs. The band leans into their eighties influences, sonically and aesthetically, and share the same bogan qualities we love about Amyl and The Sniffers. An AC/DC cover won over the Fremantle crowd, as does the conservation message of their song Dead Land.
The excitement was palpable as Amyl and the Sniffers walked on stage, and went from 1 to 100 in a matter of seconds. Opening with Control, their set was high octane from start to finish, with hit after hit, like Don’t Fence Me In followed by absolute cracker Maggot and backed up with I’m Not A Loser. People were clambering onto each other’s shoulders in the mosh pit, and for a moment it felt like being at a gig pre-COVID! Sweaty, loud, and bustling.
There’s no denying the stage presence of this band. Front woman Amy Taylor is a hurricane with her signature bleached blonde mullet whipping around on stage, and you just knew the oldies in the crowd were wondering how her neck survives night after night of head banging! She performs in a manner reminiscent of a young Chrissy Amphlett, and is definitely carving her icon status in Aussie rock and roll history. As a friend said, she’s a sexy, thrilling, bogan.
Touching on their early stuff, they played Balaclava Lover Boogie and followed it up with absolute highlight Capitol. Predictably it was their track Security that got the crowd’s phones up to record, the new litmus test of a hit, and the mosh pit went wild. Fair enough too, we can all relate as Amy laments “Security, will you let me in your pub? I’m not looking for trouble, I’m looking for love.”
Tracks from Comfort To Me go off, but it does seem only a few in the crowd know their older songs, like 2016’s Stole My Pushbike or even 2019’s Starfire 500, the opener on their debut album. With a long instrumental intro, it let the band show off their musical chops, especially guitarist Dec Martens, who churns out riffs like they’re going out of fashion. Guided By Angels was another highlight as is their dedication of GFY (Go Fuck Yourself) to Pauline Hanson. “This song goes out to Pauline Hanson the racist cunt. I hate that bitch.”
After what felt like no time at all, the set wrapped up with Hertz and a punter rushing the stage. No encore, because who likes that performative ego stroking? No-one. Instead the house lights came up to reveal stunned, sweaty faces who know they’ve just witnessed something a bit legendary, and we all parted ways, with ears ringing and pit stains.
SHANNON FOX
Photos by Damien Crocker
