Q+A – AMY TAYLOR, AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS

Q+A – AMY TAYLOR, AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
By Shane Pinnegar

It’s not unfair to say that in one sense, Amyl & the Sniffers are the least likely Aussie band to be currently ‘making it’ around the world. Three young dudes and one lady sporting mullets straight out of a ‘70s documentary and playing a frenetic kind of punk rock fury that references bogan culture just doesn’t seem the Next Big Thing at first glance. But have a closer listen and it all makes perfect sense. They have a sound of their own, a Zero Fucks Given attitude, a fresh way of doing what they’re doing. In this sense, why the hell shouldn’t they already be world famous? They’re a perfect antidote to the middle-of-the-road, and right now, the world just might need Amyl & the Sniffers more than anything.

Check out what all the fuss is about when Amyl & the Sniffers headline Mojos Bar in Freo this Friday, 13 July and The Rosemount Hotel Saturday, 14 July – both for Revelation Film Festival’s Music Days program. Amy Taylor will also be part of the Wome In Rock panel discussion at SAE Creative Media Institute on Saturday from 12 until 1:30pm.

100% ROCK: You guys are hell busy – jet setting to Europe and America and all over the shop. Is it an exciting time for you?

Amy: Very exciting time for us.

100% ROCK: There’s a real buzz about Amyl & the Sniffers right now – is it difficult to just be you and stay true to the music while there’s so much attention on you from all around the world?

Amy: Right now I don’t really pay attention to it because it’s not right in front of me and I’m busy with other things, like making sure my jeans are clean and my emails are done. I love, love though, and I feel grateful that youse dig it everywhere. To me it’s a good thing to be influenced by the lit world, sometimes I think peoples can flips the fuck out when a person or a band changes, but I love change. We know who we are and what we love right now but any day I can feel different.

100% ROCK: Flying from London to Australia then across to the States for a few months, does it hamper creativity, or are you able to write on the road?

Amy: Well the most we’ve ever done before this was five gigs in a row, whereas this was 29 gigs in six weeks. I thought it would really kill us but because we sound checked every day and we’re playing the same songs we got to be more creative with them and jam stuff out. I’m always writing things in my notes and Declan is always practicing and writing as well because there’s a lot of waiting around too.

100% ROCK: I believe the band started as a bit of a pisstake of the Aussie ‘70s sharpie culture, but quickly gained a dead set legit life of its own… was that a surprise to you guys?

Amy: Nah it wasn’t a pisstake at all, just for fun! I think I must have said that once because a couple people have asked. We were taking the piss but by that I don’t mean ripping on, I mean not taking ourselves too seriously, being light hearted about it all and just drinking and having fun with each other. I’ve always loved the bidness as well but we started purely for fun and to play house shows, it was exciting even when someone played us on the radio, still is.

100% ROCK: Being so in demand doing what you do, do you think it’s a sign that the music scene is too fucking timid and needs a band as rebellious and out there as Amyl & the Sniffers?

Amy: Ha! Yeah, fuck it, probably. There’s a lot of soft music when it comes to popular guitar music right now, but there’s heaps of tough as nails music that really hits hard too, all along the east coast.

100% ROCK: What are your thoughts about compromising what you do I order to ‘make it’? Would you get a big name producer in to make you sound commercial in order to get all over FM radio?

Amy: I’ll always do what’s right for me at the time and what will make me happy/proud. I don’t particularly like commercial music right now but it doesn’t mean it’s bad, there’s a couple of popular bangers around as well. I’d work with a producer if I like them, I’ll make a song if I like the sound of it. I won’t not work with someone just because their popular, but I’d never fucking do something just to be a popular band because that’s fleeting anyway.

100% ROCK: I hear you have your debut album coming out later this year. What can you tell us about that?

Amy: Well we got busier than we thought so we might put it out later now – couple of cheeky things to play with you know. We released the first single, Cup of Destiny a couple of months ago. It’s coming out through Flightless.

100% ROCK: You have Joey Walker from King Gizzard producing the album. What’s he brought to your sound?

Amy: Pure class

100% ROCK: In just a few years you’ve gone from working at the Mullumbimby IGA to touring the world, and that shit doesn’t just magically happen – putting all jokes aside for a moment, has it been a lot of hard work and luck to get to this point?

Amy: Yeah, I’m a bidness bitch. I work hard, I do emails, I do admin, I bust my ass – but I love it, I’d be bored otherwise and I don’t get no-one to boss us around too much. We take advice and direction and help and it’s the best, but I love control and it’s important to me or I’ll end being represented as something I’m not.

100% ROCK: Do you have a plan for world domination or do you just hope for the best and wing it?

Amy: I’m easy. I was stoked working a shit job, I’m stoked doing this too. Yeah dawg, bring on world domination, but I’ll make the most of anything I’m doing.

Category: Interviews