Just under two weeks after the release of their third studio album, ‘Cartoon Darkness’, Australian punk icons Amyl and The Sniffers brought their tour to a sold-out O2 Academy. That night, Glasgow was buzzing with excitement, an adoring crowd waited for frontwoman Amy Taylor to take the stage. The band came on stage full force, playing hit after hit, the crowd appreciating it with a ferocity I did not see when I last saw them in the Barrowland Ballroom in 2022. People loved them, then. They worshipped them now.

Even for openers Upchuck, the venue was already packed out. In the last few gigs, I’ve attended in the O2, I have noticed that it hasn’t really been getting busy until the headliner is about to take the stage, but not this time. An infectious energy was in the air, and the American punk five-piece brought that up. The band were raw and raring to go, with loud energetic tracks. I am already awaiting their return. As the set went on, the venue got busier. People were beyond ready for Amyl and The Sniffers. 

When the band took to the stage, the crowd erupted in cheers, and drinks were already flying. With the opening track ‘Doing In Me Head’ being track seven on the just-released ‘Cartoon Darkness,’ I was surprised to hear the crowd shouting back the lyrics already. Spirits were high in Glasgow’s O2 Academy, and they dove straight into ‘Freaks to the Front’. This was the first sign that this crowd would not stop moving all night. The band’s powerful lyrics, infused with their raw, straight-forward punk guitar-driven music, are the perfect recipe for an emotional night where fans can let out every emotion they have ever felt. This was my third time seeing Amyl and The Sniffers, and the band members’ capabilities came together to perfection. This is a really outstanding band, and the crowd were in awe. 

They performed all of their hits, including ‘Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled),’ ‘Jerkin’, and ‘Guided by Angels’, in the first seven songs before playing track 10 from ‘Comfort To Me’, ‘Knifey.’ My personal favourite and a communal favourite amongst women in the crowd. Taylor’s lyrics discuss the gender-based violence that is inherent in walking alone at night as a woman and how that fear should not exist. Unfortunately, the crowd’s behaviour that night was contradictory to that of this song and was my only issue at the show. There is an irony that even at shows where women should feel safest, they still won’t. This shows the importance of Amy Taylor’s words and the band’s music. I am so unbelievably hopeful they become even bigger. 

Save for ‘Big Dreams’, from ‘Cartoon Darkness’, the crowd went wild for every single song. ‘Big Dreams’ is their only slow song, giving the entranced crowd a chance to breathe. Upon hearing it on the album, I was so pleased. It reminds me of Hole’s ‘Live Through This’, and I am eager for more like this from the band. After this short breather, it was back into the mayhem. A highlight for me, also from their new album, was ‘Tiny Bikini’, Amy Taylor is such a driving force in punk music, and singing this to the crowd whilst in a classic ‘tiny’ outfit of hers was so exhilarating. Taylor is an incredible frontwoman, and her iconic voice moves each song forward brilliantly. Straight into ‘Me and The Girls’, another new release. This is another one that brought the women in the crowd together, celebrating girlhood, friendships, and freedom. 

Unfortunately, like all good things, the night came to an end. There was an encore of ‘Balaclava Lover Boogie’ and ‘GFY’, a final chance for the crowd to donate their energy. The entire venue was drenched in sweat, adrenaline running through the veins of every person in that room. Amyl and The Sniffers put on an unbelievable show, and I cannot wait for them to come back to Glasgow already. `