The front woman of the Australian punk band Amyl and the Sniffers is fast gaining recognition from anti-authoritarian youth and old punk rebels alike—but also mainstream music industry execs and major fashion brands like Gucci. But it’s not all such a riot for Taylor, as she discusses points of conflict in her life from the puny misogynistic ass grabbers she encounters when performing, to the Australian big government exacerbating climate change by selling out to the fossil fuel industry. Her coping mechanisms? Trusting her gut, helping people up, moving forward, and apparently, rocking on.
Your band takes its name from the Australian slang for amyl nitrite, also known as poppers, often used as a muscle relaxer for certain types of sex. How does sexuality play a role in your music?
Yes that's true! We called it that originally because the boys were clubbing a fair bit and my name is Amy L. Taylor, but it works because all our songs lasted 30 seconds, were loose and then you have a headache, haha.Sometimes I don't even think about how I’m presenting myself sexually or how other people interpret it. I kind of just exist and have this body and I like wearing little slu*tty clothes because it makes me feel good and confident.
I think it's important though because people can often react to it and think “Oh people only like them because she’s half naked, or got her arse out” and maybe that's true, but I don't know. I don't have a problem with that because that's just how I am. I like being sexy and it’s my choice to choose what clothes I wear and how I move. I do also like the power of sexuality and how much it can affect other people without doing anything. But honestly I forget that other people don't have 50% of their butt out most of the time, but I don't really think about it. It's not my problem.
Congrats on your band winning the ARIA Award for Best Rock Album 2019 which recognises Aussie artists across all music genres. While the band gains more recognition (and rightly so), is there an essence you’d like to maintain within the band?
It was great to be recognised in a more mainstream way, I feel like that rarely happens. I want to remember where we came from. I don’t mind changing or evolving, because it's exciting part of life. There's a huge part of me that's a dirty feral, and I don't want it to be forgotten about and I’ll always be that at heart. I don't want to change to fit other people’s moulds. I won’t change for approval, and if I can do that I’ll feel happy. I don’t want to succeed without helping other people up with us though.
Women face sexism every day, but your experience is multiplied by being a performer in the spotlight. How has it been for you dealing with misogyny both in the music industry and from the public?
Omg yeah, people are gross haha! I feel like some people place a different set of standards on what you can or can't do if you’re not a dude. Like if you go to a show in slu*tty clothes, you must just be a groupie, or if you’re a girl musician you have to be 10x better then the bloke to get the same merit, or you’re not recognised for your talent and only the way you look, or the stage hand will shake the bloke’s hands and not mine, or they will yell stupid sh*t. But I always like proving that kind of person wrong just by being me! I don't want to be a victim to it, I just want to do me, and they will comment and they will try and bring us down (whether it's subconscious or not) but I’ll just try and annoy them more by succeeding and having a good time and wearing Gucci suits haha.
I’m lucky to be surrounded by switched-on people and there are so many great people in my world that I have the luxury to ignore it. I get groped a lot, and I tell them what's what! People forget what's appropriate and what's not. People think they hold some kind of knowledge or power over me but they don’t. I think society in general has so many issues and things are normalised to an extent that I don't think people are intentionally bad. I’m not perfect either, I always f*ck up hehe. And all in all, I think a lot of people in the world I’m in are down for change and can recognise if they’re being a tosser. So we’re lucky for the bubble. All in all, if I have one thing to say is there's a million sh*t male musicians, there's room for a thousand sh*t non-male musicians too. Misogynistic comments are like ants on my leg, I brush them off and squish them and continue doing my thing while they crawl on the ground enjoying crumbs.
Who are your favorite performers at the moment?
Surfbort. Slowthai, Warthog, Cardi B, C.O.F.F.I.N, Viagra Boys, Sleaford Mods. My mate just showed me Cobra Man and Hank Williams 3, they f*cking rule too. Warthog I've never seen live, but I want to. This band Obituary came through Aus recently, I missed them but they rip. And I’ll always love Wendy O Williams and Dolly Parton because they’re lawless, smart and kind, they stand up for themselves. I'm really liking grime music right now, like Bru-C.
Have you ever found anyone you didn’t expect to see in your audience? Older men or anyone like that?
Our crowds have always been really mixed. We get a lot of old punks in and a lot of older men for sure, like majority of gigs it’s 50/50 I swear. I'm noticing a lot more younger people coming through though and lots more chicks at the front. I love that a lot and when there's like one feral girl in the crowd going nuts with all the old punks haha it’s awesome.
Violence can be inherent in punk shows. What’s been your experience with that since you’ve been going to hardcore shows from a young age? Is there a time and a place for it?
I know violence at shows absolutely isn’t for everyone, and I hope as a band we respect that and our audience feels at least a little bit safe. But in saying that, for me I loved going to a show and leaving with bruises and all sweaty and cooked. I love the energy of being pushed around together with a crowd. It's so exciting, I can't not do it, so much energy and the music just turns me crazy. I still love it, like getting a smacked nose by accident or shoving people around. I never felt or feel unsafe because if it got too much, I would go to the side or the back, or right up the front. It was always consent to be a part of the rowdy, and it never felt like it wasn’t my choice to partake, even if it is dudes bigger than me. But sometimes I don't want to, sometimes I don't wanna feel that chaos, and there's always a place on the side I tuck into and just witness and enjoy. Consensual Violence!
But I know it’s not for everyone, and I don't want to disrespect that because everyone has different feelings to that and everyone wants different things, so with the band I don't want to promote violence that isn’t consented, like I don't want someone dragged or punched if they don't want to experience it. I don't want people to have a bad time and people 100% need to respect each other. There's the unsaid rules like if someone falls down, help them up. If someone is struggling, help them up. Don't touch anyone that doesn’t wanna be touched. We can have problems with that, so I always make it a point at shows that that's the rules, it’s not accepted and there's consequences if they break them.
What’s one piece of business advice you could give to other bands?
Trust your gut! You don’t necessarily have to do it a certain way, there isn’t a right or wrong way. Don't let people push you around, and look out for yourself. Try not to be afraid to tell people what you want. You're allowed to say no to sh*tty offers. Get lawyers to read over contracts. Keep an eye on your bank account.
What was it like to be a part of the Gucci Pre-Fall 2019 campaign, and where do you draw inspiration for your sense of style?
It was f*cking great! I never could have guessed that an opportunity like that would have come up, but it was really exciting and flattering to be included by Gucci yay. They were all really kind, and I got to try on glamorous and beautiful clothes and it really is like a damn Gucci family. It was 100% different to anything we've done before because we’re not the most switched-on when it comes to fashion, and honestly we’re all pretty visually daggy. Seeing Dani (from Surfbort) and me on big billboards and in magazines was insanity.
I just wear a lot of shorty shorts and jeans and denims. I love boots and shoes. I love leather, and I love little bikinis. I love jeans so much and little shirts. And blue eyeshadow and big eye and wavy hair. And fake tan. I like the 70’s a lot. We were on tour so long, and I would just couch surf when we came back to Aus because I didn't have a place, so I chucked out all my clothes really, but now we all live together again so I wanna get more exciting clothes like colours and patterns and a bit more glamorous tall shoes. I like looking TOUGH.
If you could walk around with a sign for misogynists or creepy grabbers out there that they HAD to read, what would it say?
"I'm busy, don't waste my time"
Tragically, Australia has been in global news a great deal lately due to the bushfires which have caused unprecedented destruction. In this intense situation, is there any message you’d like to get across and/or ways you’d like to direct people to send support?
Our government is ignoring the people, and there was a total lack of action in the months leading up to the fire season which was predicted by experts to be harsher this year. There was a cut in budgets to firefighters, meanwhile the prime minister was donating to his church and buying ridiculous cars. The land is in drought, and Scott Morrison’s Government is selling off our water resources to [coal mining giant] Adani and damming the rivers causing drought.
There's towns that haven't had water in months and months. Allowing Fossil Fuel companies tax breaks while volunteer firefighters are literally fighting for their lives and for the land on their own pockets. Telling us we should be happy because the cricket’s on, while 5.5 million hectares burn. The smoke in Melbourne was the worst in the world the other day, and a week later I still have a gnarly cough. People were walking around with gas masks! They predicted over half a billion animals died. The list could literally go on and on!
It’s not news to anyone that the current society is real harsh and built to f*ck the poor and f*ck the land, and maybe that’s just human nature and the bloody government are corrupt with the choices they make when they suck the fossil fuel industry’s dick. It really makes me angry. But I think the anger is strength, and there's been a huge tightening in community, literally everyone from huge companies to venues to bands have been putting their hands up to help! And life is short, even though we’re probably all going to die in ten years, I just want to try and enjoy my time here and help where I can. I feel like everyone feels the same, but to hell with laying down and getting f*cked by some stupid muppet! I'm not claiming to be a smart bitch but far out, none of this is hidden information. There isn't one truth.
Anyway rant over for now, indigenous action is probably the best thing we can do in terms of the climate. Rallying behind the traditional owners of the land, the indigenous people, putting money into indigenous organisations and promoting their voices is something everyone can do. It’s something everyone can educate and gather their own opinion on, lots of information online.
www.seedmob.org.au indigionous youth led climate network
www.wires.org.au to help animals
climatefive.com is a website spreading 5 simple steps to take climate action
There's lots of places to donate either money or time, Google knows more than me.
I don't really know how yet but probably getting educated on how to vote and politics and emailing your local representatives is for sure the best way to change the top dogs and the top. But yeah I don't know sh*t about that but I’m sure someone does.
courtesy AMY TAYLOR
words JANNA JAY
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