Going to an Amyl and the Sniffers show feels like the strangest guided workout you've ever participated in. You're sweating, regardless of where you are in the crowd. Frontwoman Amy Taylor might randomly begin cranking out push-ups in the middle of a song, and you need to take every second between tracks to catch your breath after being in one of the most high-energy mosh pits you've ever experienced. On the third and final day of this year's Osheaga Music and Arts Festival, the Sniffers spent a good chunk of an hour getting festival goers running, jumping and screaming.
The Aussie punk rockers stomped their way onto the festival's Valley Stage at 5:00 p.m., getting the crowd warmed up with opener "Balaclava Lover Boogie" off of their 2017 sophomore EP, Big Attraction. "Hello everyone!" said Taylor, wearing a toxic green-coloured crop top and metallic silver short shorts. "I know it's the last day of the fest, but I wanted to thank you all for being here."
She continued, "I wanted to take a moment to talk about politics, because as someone with a mic, I feel like talking about politics is the right thing to do. And if you're not into politics, that's okay — I'm still learning every day." Amy took a moment to wish for a free Palestine and immediately proceeded to play "Security," which really got the crowd rocking.
Soon after, Amy Taylor looked at the crowd and informed them that the show was ending due to a lightning advisory, starting a crowd chant of "Fuck the lightning! Fuck the lightning!" while she pretended to wipe fake tears from her eyes. But only a mere five minutes after the cancellation, "Guided By Angels" began playing from the Valley Stage, and the crowd flocked back with even more energy than before.
"This one's for all the transgender and non-binary people in the crowd," Taylor said, to a raucous applause. "If you want to look nice when you go outside, you should wear something slutty and feel good about yourself." The Sniffers went on to play "Knifey," a song about gender-based violence and the vulnerable feeling of walking home alone in the dark.
It was certainly a bummer that Amyl and the Sniffers had a chunk of their already-short set taken away by the weather advisory, but they packed a punch in the amount of time they were given. As the show began wrapping up, Amy took to the centre stage to showcase her iconic bodybuilding poses — and, of course, the crowd went wild.
"I want you to repeat after me," she said as the show came to its close, singing the buildup to Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten." It was a perfectly timed request, as the forecasted downpour occurred only a few moments after the band made their exit. Osheaga's punk enthusiasts could quite literally feel the rain on their skin.