Aussie Rockers Amyl and the Sniffers Bring Their Chaotic Energy to Florida

Being from Australia, Amy Taylor, lead singer of the punk band Amyl and the Sniffers, can relate to Floridians' gripe that so many bands avoid the inconvenience of touring our state.

"Everything is a hassle in Australia. There's like six big cities, and every fucking one of them is ten hours apart," Taylor says.

For the band's fourth American tour, Amyl and the Sniffers wanted to make sure they finally brought their chaotic, cathartic, and anarchic brand of rock to the isolated, out-of-the-way Sunshine State, including Revolution Live on Wednesday, November 1.

"We rerouted our whole tour to finally come to Florida. We want humidity," Taylor tells New Times over Zoom from her hotel room in St. Louis.

Amyl and the Sniffers started on a lark back in 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. Taylor says her musical training consisted of "going to local hardcore shows as a teenager." Her housemates — drummer Bryce Wilson, guitarist Declan Martens, and bassist Gus Romer — had all played in several disparate bands. As an exercise, the quartet decided to write, record, create artwork, and release a record in 12 hours. That EP, Giddy Up, sounds, in the best possible way, like it was influenced equal parts by energy drinks, alcohol, the Sex Pistols, the Slits, and early Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The band's next six-song EP, Big Attraction, was released the following year in 2017, featuring more of the same speedy DIY style. But for the subsequent two full-length albums, Amyl and the Sniffers gave the material a bit more thought. First came the band's self-titled record in 2019, followed by 2021's Comfort to Me.

"It's all changed over time. A lot of those records were written in between touring. The last one took a year while we were living together during the pandemic. Even before the pandemic, it was a weird fucking time," Taylor says, peppering her conversation with salty language. "There were all these brushfires in Australia — you call them wildfires; in Australia, we call them brushfires. We were wearing masks because there was so much smoke in the air. Then in 2020 was all the pandemic and these politics."
The sad state of the world inspired the lyrics for one of her favorite songs, the aggressive "Capital."

"The guys write the music, then I listen and freestyle the lyrics," Taylor explains. "I've got a lot of lyrics written down, but it often doesn't end up fitting their music. I get excited and write something new."

While Amyl and the Sniffers have been working on new songs, it's unlikely that audiences will get a chance to hear them live during this tour — but not impossible. "We've been practicing them in soundcheck. Maybe we'll give it a red-hot go instead of sitting on them," Taylor says teasingly.

What the audience can expect from the band's Fort Lauderdale show, she says, is "high energy...with an involved mosh pit. You see all kinds of people. Lots of women come out very inspired and empowered."

To get that remarkably kinetic stage persona, Taylor keeps things simple. She'll imbibe a couple of drinks. "Then I'll check the makeup and slutty clothes. I'll jump up and down and do some push-ups," she adds. After previously injuring her vocal cords, she also added a few pre-show vocal exercises. "I didn't know what I was doing before. I didn't have any training," Taylor says. "Now I blow bubbles while singing in a low register to get warmed up."

Amyl and the Sniffers. With Die Spitz. 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 1, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-449-1025; jointherevolution.net. Tickets cost $26.50 via ticketmaster.com.