Band Profile: Amyl and the Sniffers

This is Amyl and the Sniffers.

Clever name if you get it. But in case some of you skipped chemistry and never were big on the club scene…

Isoamyl nitrite is one of a group of alkyl nitrites, commonly known as ‘poppers‘. Taken by sniffing an inhalant, popper use has a relaxation effect on involuntary smooth muscles, such as those in the throat and anus. It has been used for practical purposes to facilitate anal sex by increasing blood flow and relaxing sphincter muscles,

So there ya go. Now we are on the same page.

Amyl and the Sniffers are a growly bar fight of a punk band. A snarl of vocals dancing on manic beats and garage beaten guitars. Amyl and the Sniffers want to have a fight with you, then buy you a drink. There is something inherently combative the way singer Amy Taylor rages on stages. It looks like what would happen if you made someone do an ounce of cocaine with some adderall chasers and then shoved them onto a stage in front of people to try and front a punk band. It’s awesome to behold.

The band calls Melbourne, Australia home. It give’s Taylors voice that ‘oi’ sound one might find in classic british punk. Are they original? Not really. Are they outstanding musicians. Um… no. But they rock because they rock. Hard. Always. While the rest of the band does their best to keep up with Taylor, she is a force of nature and fun watch. She’s playfully sexy and not afraid to embrace her image as such.

Check out the video for ‘Some Mutts (Can’t be Muzzled)’

Taylor yells at the listener as much as she ‘sings’. It’s always full on, cranked to 11. This is how greasy punk should be. The band was singed in 2017 to Homeless Records. Their first full length dropped in 2019, so the band is still just coming up.

Amy Taylor compared their music to the drug in an interview with Paul Glynn of the BBC: “In Australia we call poppers ‘Amyl’. So you sniff it, it lasts for 30 seconds and then you have a headache – and that’s what we’re like!”.

They’ve won a couple of awards and have generated some favorable press. They are touring heavy in the Spring of 2020. You can check the dates on their official site here: amylandthesniffers.com

Here is another catchy ripper, ‘Cup of Destiny’.

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