Amyl and the Sniffers Drove Full Force Through The Anthem - 6/10/26

In a time where rock and roll as we know it may be currently outshined a bit on the world stage with dance influenced tunes, and a huge country music following with an ever-evolving Nashville music scene, it’s great to know that rock is not dead and brilliantly manifests itself in the band Amyl and the Sniffers.

The pub band from Melbourne, Australia suddenly is one of the biggest rock bands in the world!

After catching a Sniffers set in Hersheypark a couple of years ago, it was apparent then that the band was ascending the summit of world rock bands. Opening for Foo Fighters that day, I was amazed to see the energy level the band delivers, and they continue doing that touring around the globe non-stop it seems. After this US run, the band will again be back in Europe this summer for more shows.

The band, which consists of Amy Taylor on lead vocals, Bryce Wilson on drums, Declan Mehrtens on guitar, and Gus Romer on bass, has had a hectic and frenzied touring schedule the last few years. Thing may not have gone fully as planned as a result as current member Gus Romer, the bassist for the band is not touring with the band this summer opting for a break from the grueling Sniffers tour schedule. By all accounts, as I have read, he will be back with the Sniffers next year, and I have seen nothing to suggest a slowdown of this rock and roll machine.

While the meteoric rise may come with some costs, the band is selling out shows all over the world and have been receiving numerous awards and accolades. Over the course of the last few years the Sniffers have won awards from various different awarding agencies. The most significant may be the Grammy nomination this year for Best Rock Performance for their hit “U Should Not Be Doing That”, and Album of the Year (Cartoon Darkness), Best Group, and Best Rock Album at last year’s ARIA Awards in Australia.

The band is performing fantastically and is in full form as they tour the US this summer, including their recent powerful set at DC’s The Anthem on June 10th, 2026. This current world tour marks the band being together as a unit for 10 years. With that said, they have re-released previous EP’s Giddy Up and Attraction. This summer the band is headlining and playing numerous dates in the US until they depart for Europe in August with a return to the US in October of this year. The band is also playing Bonnaroo, festivals in Europe with a return to play the prestigious Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas later in the year.

Party Dozen from Australia opened the show at The Anthem and played a dynamic 40-minute set where their instrumentation blending saxophone and drums created a heavy amount of noise rock, and some fine opening moments of the show. The duo is billed as playing Noise Rock and have released four albums to date. The band is made up of Kirsty Tickle on Saxophone, and Jonathan Boulet on drums. Together they forma band of great saxophone combined with some stellar drumming.

Before taking the stage, the Sniffers played some Shania Twain to get the crowd going before bursting onto the stage with a great version of “Control”. The song set the stage for the sonic shock felt when seeing the Sniffers in concert.

By the time the band played “U Should Not Be Doing That” a few songs into the show, which is now a staple of any Sniffers set the band was fully in control of the stage, and the audience in attendance rocked in unison to every note played by the band, and the amazing energy level of Amy Taylor moving from side to side belting out lyrics to the early established pace of the band. The intensity of the guitar, combined with drums and the thumping bass played by fill-in Lakota Vella can be felt during each of the songs played during the concert.

The pace didn’t stop and continued as the band ripped through “Doing in Me Head” another incredible track from their current album Cartoon Darkness. Mehrtens’s great guitar work is on full display during “Balaclava Lover Boogie”, and the band reaches another level of intensity during “Guided by Angels.”

Listen to “Big Dreams” by Amyl and the Sniffers below:

A lighter moment in the show of non-stop rocking may be when the band plays “Chewing Gum.” After the song, Taylor asks If “anybody is feeling a little bit feral,” at which time Mehrten’s advised that he was and states this is his Friday getting a laughing comeback from Taylor that this was her Friday as well. If that feedback was indication that they rock harder on Friday, then the audience definitely got their money’s worth at the Anthem show, which a great rock show from the first moment to the last.

After a few moments of political bantering by Taylor, the band was back at full force with “Freaks to the Front”, and “Do It Do It” featuring some over the top drumming by Wilson tightly locked in with the guitar work of Mehrtens.

For me personally, some of the best moments of the show was the Sniffers playing “Security” a great hard rock song and later in the set with a great version of the classic “Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled). Throughout the high energy evening fans were constantly crowd surfing in front of the stage and being removed by security as they reached the barrier in front of the stage.

The Sniffers closed out a perfect night of rock and roll with “I Got You”, and “GFY”.

If what I saw at The Anthem was any indication of what is yet to come, I must say that the band is in fantastic form and will continue getting bigger and better globally. While the Sniffers may be a punk band at heart, they sure do have the feel of a classic 70s rock band with the fusion of the guitar, drums, and bass. Combined, both styles of music provides the foundation of one of the best bands in the world right now.

The Sniffers will continue touring this summer, and any fan of rock should try to catch a show of this band arguably at peak form during their ten-year duration.

The setlist included:

Man! I Feel Like a Woman! (Shania Twain intro)
Control
It’s Mine
U Should Not Be Doing That
Doing in Me Head
Balaclava Lover Boogie
Guided by Angels
Chewing Gum
Freaks to the Front
Do It Do It
Security
Tiny Bikini
Big Dreams
Me and The Girls
Facts
Starfire 500
Knifey
Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)
Jerkin’
Hertz
Got You
GFY
Old Man Emu (John Williamson song)