Tireless force of nature

Hanging the sold-out sign two nights in a row in the big room at Razzmatazz is no joke. And even less so in the middle of August. A good indicator of the growing popularity of a punk rock band with underground origins like Amyl and the Sniffers. The Australians’ proposal, torn and melodic in equal parts, but always playful and urgent, is perfect for any festival. In fact, many of us had already experienced their live performance at Primavera Sound, where one of the main stages was not great at all. However, this band is club meat, as we could see a few minutes after the start, after a “Satisfaction” by Benny Benassi as an intro that put us in the situation.

The power and attitude of the group gain in importance over short distances, and to the second song, “Do It Do It”, from their notable latest album “Cartoon Darkness”the room was already boiling like a pressure cooker. The song condenses the group’s different registers, from punk to hard rock and pop, with certain echoes of Blondie flying over the whole, and for this reason it is probably one of the best cuts in their still incipient discography.

The party continued with direct and electrifying pieces such as “Security”, “Capital”, “Doing in Me Head” and “Guided by Angels”, while sweat flowed at the speed of beers on an agitated track. Although the bulk of the hits, whose volume is beginning to be alarming, were concentrated in the second half: the groovy “Me And The Girls”, the catchy “Chewing Gum” and “Tiny Bikini”, “U Should Not Be Doing That”, “Jerkin’” and “Hertz”, whose meandering riff fueled one of the biggest pogos of the night with the permission of “GFY”.

Declan Mehrtens carried all the weight of the guitars, showing off like a guitar hero in several solos in which he seemed to smoke out of his Gibson Explorer, while bassist Lakota Vella (Public Figures), temporary replacement for Gus Romer, fit like a glove in the lineup. But if someone stood out above the rest it was Amy Taylor. Magnetic, powerful and fun, the singer monopolized goals, danced, ran, marked muscles and spread energy and smiles. A punk superheroine with platinum blonde hair with a bit of Debbie Harry and the destabilizing potential of the replicant Daryl Hannah in “Blade Runner”. A tireless force of nature.