Amyl and The Sniffers are known for their high-octane, raspy and rocky performances that make you feel like rock and roll is alive and well. Think far-out hairstyles, mosh pits, crowd surfing and pure, unfiltered rock 'n' roll.
Amyl steps out onto the stage at Treefort Music Fest wearing an iconic Fashion Brand Company hoodie that I recognized right away from sitting in my own shopping cart.
From the first song, Amy spends time warming the crowd up with her on-point vocals and excited attitude. The band hails from Australia and brought a sort of spirited mayhem to their set. As their performance went on, Amyl and The Sniffers had fans moshing, singing every word of “Jerkin’” and hooting and hollering in agreement to Amyl’s female rage. Her outfit only revealed to be even cooler when I realized she had hearts cut out of her jeans. (Catch me with scissors creating a dupe for myself this summer.)
Although at first their band may seem aggressive or poignant, Amyl often took pauses to express her gratitude for being here “even when the world is going to absolute shit.” Amy took several moments to remind the crowd that her songs aren’t just about her experience as a woman from Australia who’s seen so many women get hurt from the violence against them, but that the “patriarchy is also keeping the men down, too.” It brought the crowd together in a “down-with-the-man” energy sort of way and created a swell in crowd surfing. Being my first TMF, I quickly learned that crowdsurfing is almost a sort of tradition at the festival. What better place to do that than Amyl's set.
As the show went on, the Aussie punk rockers had everyone jumping to their hits like “Tiny Bikini” and “Freaks To The Front.” Fists were flying and everyone was excitedly into the joyful, chaotic energy of it all. Amyl and The Sniffers are on tour for all of 2025, and I hope to catch them again on their tour run. They had a special way of unifying an audience, captivating their attention, having good, clean fun all in the name of rock and roll. Amyl and The Sniffers lyrics have legendary lyrics that are, if you listen a bit closer, full of empowering reminders that you should remain authentic to yourself and ignore those who just don’t get who you are. I think that’s pretty punk rock.
Words and photos by Daniela Shella