Amyl and The Sniffers tear through Franklin Music Hall

Amyl and The Sniffers’ show at Franklin Music Hall wasn’t the typical reprieve you get from live music. Instead of offering an escape, they grabbed all the chaos of the world and set it on fire. In true punk fashion, the Melbourne pub rock band didn’t ignore the state of things, but rather, they acknowledged it, shouted at it, and turned it into the fuel for a fantastic show. It was equal parts cathartic and joyful, with frontwoman Amy Taylor bounding across the stage with her characteristic big smile and raw, explosive vocals.

However, the night started off a bit more subdued, with Philly’s own Sheer Mag opening. If Amyl and The Sniffers is proof that punk is alive and breathing, Sheer Mag does the same for rock. The crowd seemed to embrace Sheer Mag, wrapping them in a homecoming hug. People around me were jumping and singing lyrics, and when I looked around, I saw that it wasn’t an isolated incident. The four-piece band formed back in 2014, although their influence and sound reach back further, to ‘70s classic rock. 

By the time Amyl and The Sniffers took the stage, Franklin Music Hall was packed to the brim, with crowd surfers and mosh pits starting as early as the second song. Over the next hour, the band tore through a set that was equal parts chaos and control, delivering a performance that felt as urgent as it did unhinged. Their stage presence was felt immediately, with Taylor’s buoyant energy and nonstop motion propelling the band from one song to the next.

Taylor barely slowed down all night, the only exceptions being in between songs when she talked about a slew of issues in the world, addressing everything from Palestine and climate change to domestic violence and femicide, tossing in a few expletives about the current administration as well. These moments were brief, but felt genuine, and fell in line with the ethos behind the band. 

While their lyrics can err on the raunchy side, Amyl and The Sniffers’ songs are ultimately about inclusivity. Songs like “Freaks to the Front” and “Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)” are a call for people to reject societal pressures, and to embrace whatever it is that makes you weird or different. And, in the case of the latter, a reminder that Taylor refuses to be silenced.

While Taylor was undeniably magnetic, strutting around the stage and flexing her muscles, looking like something that you’d see in an ‘80s workout video, the only exception being her bedazzled microphone replacing barbells, equal credit needs to be given to the rest of the band. Declan Mehrten on guitar, Gus Romer on bass, and Bryce Wilson on drums kept the beat and energy strong, starting chants and callbacks with the audience.

There was a multi-cam projection behind the band throughout the entire set, which felt like a home-video compilation of each band member and occasional shots of the front row barricade. It was a nice touch, adding a bit of a DIY feel to the show and projecting a large, if slightly distorted, Taylor for people in the back.

Much of the setlist drew on Amyl and The Sniffers’ latest album, Cartoon Darkness. Singles like “Chewing Gum,” “Jerkin’, and “U Should Not Be Doing That” took on a new life, as the entire band rocked back and forth in a frenzied fury.

Other standouts included “Tiny Bikini,” in which Taylor put on a tiny bikini that a fan had made and handed to her earlier in the set. “Hertz” was the last song of the main set, a track from their second album and one that reached new noise levels. Fists were pumping, people were surfing, and it felt like the perfect culmination of the show.