Amyl and the Sniffers Kick Off North American Tour with Ferocious Punk Performance at Portland, OR’s Crystal Ballroom (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS)

Among the handful of Australian bands that have taken the world by storm in the last several years, few have grabbed the attention of such a diverse range of music fans as Amyl and the Sniffers. Fronted by the brash vocalist Amy Taylor, the band has exploded as they have evolved from their gritty early punk days to a formidable rock and roll force, blazing through country after country with ripping sets that feel primal yet just poppy enough to entice the masses with a hint of danger. This evolution is encapsulated in their latest album Cartoon Darkness – released late last year. Now, the Sniffers are back Stateside with a barnstorming tour at some of their biggest venues yet that is almost entirely sold out. On Tuesday, March 25th, that tour kicked off at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. 

Following a lively opening set of tight, in-your-face rock goodness from Sheer Mag that ended with a powerful cover of Slade’s “Cum on Feel the Noize” that rivaled the original, Amyl and the Sniffers took the stage to the propulsive beat of Alex Gaudino’s “Destination Unknown.” Decked out in a yellow jersey that was only topped by her platinum blonde hair, Taylor screamed, “Destination unknown motherfuckers” as the band fired off the opening notes of “Do It Do It” and immediately ignited a dance party. For the next hour, the quartet surfed a wave of punk-infused rock and roll energy that rarely let up. On the driving “Starfire 500,” Taylor ran through the crowd as she belted out lyrics and followed it up by inciting the crowd to chant along the lyrics of “Doing In Me Head.” Considering Taylor’s force-of-nature charisma, it’s no wonder that the Sniffers can pull their fans into the kind of cultish frenzy that the best rock bands can do. With her bandmates stirring up a storm of guitar-driven chaos behind her, the front woman prowled the stage like she was ready to throw fists in a manner that was somehow vicious and tough while still feeling like a welcome embrace. In between songs like “Security” and “Chewing Gum,” Taylor spouted off about a slew of current issues ranging from wanting her visa and freeing Palestine to not fucking with people who are different than you before setting off a mosh pit during the spiky punk of “Freaks to the Front.” 

Besides Taylor’s onstage antics, the set impressed for the way it displayed the band’s evolution from crusty bar band shredders to a more varied rock and roll sound. This could be heard in their melodic and grungy take on “Got You” with its healthy dose of guitar soloing, the twangy and dark rock morsel “Knifey,” and a version of “Me and the Girls” infused with robotic vocal effects. “Tiny Bikini” was also a standout with its bouncy and delightful pop sleaze, while Taylor dedicated “U Should Not Be Doing That” to “all the ass eaters out there” before the band dropped into a post-punk romp.      

The Sniffers swept through like a tornado and closed out in a blaze of glory just past the one-hour mark. Throughout their set, their freewheeling antics and fuck you attitude were very much intact. This was surely a relief for anyone worried that so much success might soften their edge. On the contrary, they proved to be as potent as ever at stirring their diverse crowd of fans into a boiling and joyous mob. As Amyl and the Sniffers embark on yet another tour, Portland’s kick-off made it clear they have carved out a well-deserved front-runner status amongst the current crop of punk and rock and roll bands.  

All photos by Greg Homolka