“I’m not gonna lie. It’s f*****g crazy being this close to the White House. Do you guys live here?” That was the question Amy Taylor had for 6,000 fans in Washington, DC’s Anthem on Wednesday night.
Taylor is in the middle of a North American tour with her band Amyl and the Sniffers which will eventually take them to Bonnaroo and a few other Midwest cities later this week. They then have a month off before hitting Europe in August.
Taylor and her band have traveled a long way from their home in Melbourne over the past ten years. They received their first Grammy nomination this past year for the single “U Should Not Be Doing That.” Cartoon Darkness, the band’s third full-length record, claimed Album and Rock Album of the Year at the 2025 ARIA Awards – Australia’s best-known recording prize. They also won the award for Best Group.
Amyl and the Sniffers blast off in the nation’s capital
They’ve won many other awards in Australia prior to Cartoon Darkness, but since last year, their international profile has skyrocketed. Hence, Amy Taylor is playing before 6,000 people one mile from the White House.
Taylor’s lyrical concerns would seem to be a far cry from policy coming from the current American administration. The message projected on the big screen behind the stage prior to the band’s appearance appears, on the surface, hard to dispute.
“Amyl and the Sniffers want everyone to able to enjoy the show. They have a zero tolerance policy toward sexual assault or discrimination of any kind including age, gender, race, sexuality, disability or class. Take care of each other.”
Sadly, in today’s climate, those almost come off as fighting words.
And make no mistake. Taylor and her band are prepared to fight. They are just one of many punk bands formed within the past decade or so that are unapologetic in their critique of the world in 2026. Nine of the 21 songs they played in a high-octane 80-minute set came from Cartoon Darkness, including “Jerkin’” and “Me and the Girls,” two songs that rail against culturally pervasive sexism.
And if the call for solidarity wasn’t sufficient, Taylor also delivered “Knifey,” from 2022’s Comfort to Me, about what can happen if men don’t heed her call for civility. It is one of many Amyl songs that effectively blends pop hook and warning.
“Knifey” was notable on Wednesday because of the driving bass riff opening provided by Lakota Vella, who is filling in for regular bassist Gus Romer. He has taken a temporary leave of absence from touring. Vella, a Melbourne musician with the band Public Figures, seemed to have no trouble hitting the right notes. You could positively feel her bass throb in your chest on another Cartoon Darkness track, “Chewing Gum.”
Drummer Bryce Wilson was equally on point, especially on the transition from the slow-building “Big Dreams” into the fiery, anthemic “Me and the Girls.”
Guitarist Declan Mehrtens is simply one of the best young players rock and roll has to offer. He provided brief lightning solos throughout the night, really standing out on “Security” and “Some Mutts (Can’t be Muzzled).”
And of course, completing the quartet is Taylor, who does not pick up an instrument, but whose voice and vibe are essential to the performance. When she sings “I’ve got plenty of energy” on “Guided by Angels,” it comes off as a massive understatement.
Taylor hit the stage at full blast for the opening number, “Control,” from the band’s self-titled debut album in 2019. She does stop to catch her breath occasionally, but the energy never lags.
If Taylor’s songs were merely rabble-rousers, there would be a certain value to an Amyl show. But she is a far more witty and nuanced writer than that. The band’s walk-on music is not Sex Pistols or The Birthday Party. It is Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” That song announces that the best thing about being a woman is “the prerogative to have a little fun.”
It is clear that Amy Taylor and her band, however serious their message may be at times, also are having fun – be it flirty (“Tiny Bikini”) or feral (“Freaks to the Front.”)
Melbourne-based Party Dozen has been opening for Amyl on this tour. A two-piece jazz punk outfit that blasts sax and drums over a bed of noise rock, matches the headliner’s energy, if not the lyrical sophistication.
They are an intriguing outfit that manages to be more accessible and involving than they might appear on first listen. They have been together for a decade now and have recently taken a major step forward, with guest appearances by the likes of Nick Cave and billy woods on recent releases.
Before launching into the B-side of “U Should Not Be Doing That,” Taylor began to caution the crowd not to believe everything the media reports. She used more colorful language. Then they played “Facts.”
“Like on the news, the racist telly
Don’t want the s**t they’re trying to sell me
Come on baby, and tell me the facts.”
The fact is, if you are a fan of punk rock – or loud, fast, protest rock – or just really potent, powerful rock – then you should give Amyl and the Sniffers a listen.
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