Amyl and The Sniffers conclude a banner year with a final, frenetic US performance at The Observatory North Park
2022 has been a colossal year for Aussie punks Amyl and The Sniffers. Riding the incredible momentum of their breakthrough LP, Comfort To Me, the band has been on a non-stop touring schedule that has launched them to all corners of the globe. Last Sunday Amyl and The Sniffer wrapped up their 2022 US tour dates with an absolutely ripping set at The Observatory North Park in San Diego.
The evening began with opening support from LA's Illuminati Hotties, a prolific indie band that incorporates a wide range of styles and attitudes into their affably scruffy repertoire. Lead Hottie Sarah Tudzin took center stage, flanked by the band who launched into a freewheeling set that ran the gamut from angsty punk to reverb-y surf rock, shot through the arm with a gritty DIY aesthetic reinforcing the Illuminati Hotties' performance with an easy familiarity.
Casually noting that the band had just drove from the "next town over" to play the gig, Tudzin embodied a carefree disposition that pulled the audience in close, emulating the intimacy of a small Sunset club as opposed to the relatively cavernous environs the band was currently inhabiting. Despite the expanse of stage and the diminutive appearance of the band's suitcase-sized amps, the Illuminati Hotties delivered a set that quickly ramped from 0-60 as they plowed forward with brilliant enthusiasm. By the time the band wrapped the crowd was visibly warmed up for the main event, won over by Illuminati Hotties' infectious charm and generous delivery.
Amyl and The Sniffers are a band completely unfamiliar with the concept of subtlety. A full throttle experience unleashed with the wild intensity of a Pacific typhoon - elemental and unstoppable. Their rowdy nature belies the fact that although their sound and delivery is without question a blunt instrument, Amyl and The Sniffers are possessed of an exceedingly sharp sense of nuance that flexes the grey matter with the same lean athleticism as the band's impeccably toned frontwoman. It would be easy to simply make loud, high energy music, but to do so while taking a stance on truly big issues is a Herculean feat that Amyl and The Sniffers achieve with resounding significance.
Observing the crowd in the brief moments before the band's veritable tempest of sound was unleashed, it's obvious that the public is picking up what Amyl and The Sniffers are putting down. People of all ages, races, and genders packed together for a communal experience that transcends the easy definition of a rock show, even expanding the boundaries of what is considered punk rock into a broadly appealing platform for big concepts and emotions that makes absolutely zero compromises.
Amyl and The Sniffers is a band for everyone but in true punk fashion they defiantly raise their voice in support of underserved and marginalized groups, using their platform as a means to rally against biases with single-minded focus. Tracks like "Choices" and "Knifey" explode with new significance in a communal experience, channeling powerful messages directly into an audience not only receptive but inherently familiar with resisting institutional inequalities that propagate unjust oppression.
The performance was, undoubtedly, a non-stop kinetic energy exchange whipped into an unceasing frenzy of perpetual mosh that churned like waves of human surf, pounding against the barricades with oceanic force. The frenzy didn't relent for a moment, imbued with an aura of unstoppable urgency by a crowd and a band oscillating on identical frequencies before ending abruptly with the bold significance of punctuation at the conclusion of an impassioned manifesto - an exclamation mark seared upon the page, balanced on the razor's edge of anticipation for the next chapter in Amyl and The Sniffers unfolding odyssey.
Stream Amyl and The Sniffers on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram. Steam Illuminati Hotties on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram.