Amyl and the Sniffers’ frontwoman Amy Taylor sat down for the ILMC Futures Forum keynote on Friday, recounting how the Australian punk group skyrocketed to global acclaim.

Taylor dug into the cost of touring, keeping audiences safe, and the importance of artist involvement with BBC Introducing’s Abbie McCarthy to close out the final day at the 37th edition of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), held last week at London’s Royal Lancaster.

Formed in a Melbourne share house in 2016, Taylor, Dec Martens (guitar), Gus Romer (bass) and Bryce Wilson (drums) have taken stages across the world by storm over their near-decade of existence. The BRIT-nominated group – who are represented by agent Alex Bruford and Will Church of ATC Live in Europe/Asia/LatAm – released their third album Cartoon Darkness to critical acclaim last October and will embark on a whirlwind world tour this year in support.

“As an Australian band, we’ve always toured really hard overseas,” Taylor said. “When we first started, we would usually come on tour for like four months at a time, because we were doing the Northern Hemisphere.

“We’d fly over to the UK, do all the UK and Europe, then fly to America and do all of that, because we couldn’t really afford to fly back in between, and we were still not making any money. So there was a lot of sacrifice.”

“The actual music side isn’t an income thing anymore. Playing live is the only income”

Despite churning out music and performing for years, Taylor said the group didn’t turn a profit until after the pandemic. She cited the steep cost of international touring, specifically visa expenses, and how evolving recorded and live music landscapes are hindering artists.

“Nobody’s making money off of physical merch, because of recession and because everyone’s streaming, so the actual music side isn’t an income thing anymore,” she said. “Playing live is the only income. But nobody’s going out to shows because it’s like a changed social environment, like post-Covid. A lot of people don’t really feel comfortable in those spaces, like going to shows is just not a priority when you’re trying to pay the bills, and it’s just one piece of a whole puzzle.”

Amyl and the Sniffers are renowned for their explosive live shows, delivering rough and rowdy shows to hungry fans across the globe. Though anger is a driving emotion behind these gigs, Taylor has prioritised safety for audiences.

“Feminism is at the forefront of our music, and unfortunately in live music spaces, including our own, there’s still so much sexism,” she said.

The group has taken extra measures to try and keep fans safe, including signage across venues calling out racism, sexism, and classism, alongside additional security briefings and on-stage discussion to help stamp out issues at the shows.

“I’d rather go to the conservative places and upset them than fail to make a bit of noise”

“Even with all the things we put in place, it actually still exists. Music is like a microcosm of society and the culture that we live in. It’s a reflection of the society and the culture that we’re living where misogyny can go unchecked and it can bleed into everything.

“I’m really hands-on on the business side of things, not just performance. This year, we’ve got around 90 shows and saying, minimum, there are 1,000 people at that show, that’s at least 90,000 people this year that we have to make sure are safe,” she added.

With an extensive touring record — including support slots for Foo Fighters, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Weezer — taking them to venues and festivals around the world, Taylor said the band doesn’t shy away from playing more conservative markets.

“It’s good to talk to those people because, really, they’d be more isolated in those areas,” she said. “To say you had a really religious upbringing, and you couldn’t be a queer person, it’s probably nice to see us freaking out on stage or something like that.

“I’d rather go to the conservative places and upset them than fail to make a bit of noise. That’s what it’s all about.”

On stage, Taylor is also known for her bold and scantily clad wardrobe, something she says she finds empowerment in.

“If I can help it, I won’t let that be dragged through the mud because of ignorance”

“In a lot of my life, I actually don’t feel empowered and I don’t feel liberated, and I feel really trapped and suffocated. Wearing tiny clothes is a way that I feel really strong, and I feel really free. For me, wearing that on stage and being extremely feminine at some points is a way for me to just reclaim that, and show that femininity isn’t weakness.”

A powerhouse on and off the stage, Taylor also highlighted the importance of artists being involved in the business side of things.

“It’s impossible to be across everything, and we have a great team of people that we work with,” she added. “I’m just trying to keep my eyes on as much as I can — I think that’s really important for artists.

“It’s my life and it’s my face… That’s my reputation. And if I can help it, I won’t let that be dragged through the mud because of ignorance.”

Nonetheless, she spoke highly about her management, Simone Ubaldi and Andrew Parisi of Sundowner Artists, and touring teams. Amyl and the Sniffers are also repped on the live scene by Arrival Artists (NA) and Supersonic (AUS/NZ).

“I choose to do something different, and they don’t have to come along with me”

“They always have our best interest at the forefront,” she said. “We’re not like cash cows to anybody, even though we did produce milk.

“We’re actually people to them. We have a voice to all of them, and they do want to hear our inputs and our thoughts, and they’ll rationalise with us, rather than infantilise us.”

With a massive year on the cards — including supporting The Offspring across South America, festival plays like Coachella and Hurricane/Southside, and a headlining trek culminating at London’s 10,250-capacity Alexandra Palace — Amyl and the Sniffers are undoubtedly on an unstoppable trajectory.

Despite their beginnings as a pub-rock band touring small Australian venues, Taylor concluded that the band’s expression and message have since evolved well beyond a more static punk scene.

“It’s a spirit that we embody, full stop, and nobody can take that away, because it’s something that’s within us. It’s like a rebellion and freedom, rather than like something to be gatekept,” she said.

“If they want to stay stuck inside those cages, they can, but I choose to do something different, and they don’t have to come along with me.”

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Dutch promoter Friendly Fire has announced a second edition of its garage, punk, post-punk and wave festival Loose Ends.

The one-day festival debuted in 2019 and saw acts including Fontaines DC, Metz, Sleaford Mods, Personal Trainer, Pip Blom and Iguana Death Cult perform at NDSM Wharf in Amsterdam.

After three years on the shelf, Friendly Fire is breathing new life into the festival with a new location and a renewed focus.

This year, Loose Ends will take place at the Beton-T – a city square in Utrecht transformed into a creative hub – in collaboration with local music venue TivoliVredenburg.

“We’re aiming a little more at the bottom of the bill but we will focus on the acts which will explode within a few months”

“The festival will be a bit more intimate than on the NDSM Wharf,” says TivoliVredenburg programmer Lisa de Jongh. “We are aiming for 2,000 visitors and two stages where alternating acts will play. In that sense, we’re aiming a little more at the bottom of the bill than the edition in 2019, but we will focus on the acts which will explode within a few months. We’re looking for the must-see acts in garage rock, post-punk and sleaze, as well as quite a few local bands.”

The first names for Loose Ends 2023 will be announced soon and ticket sales will start on 2 June. Ticket prices will be “below €30 to make the festival as accessible as possible”.

Amsterdam-based Friendly Fire promotes festivals including Best Kept Secret, Tuckerville, Indian Summer, Ramblin’ Roots and Hit the City.

The company also promotes concerts for domestic and international acts such as The 1975, Mäneskin, A$AP Rocky, Blink-182, Bloc Party, Childish Gambino and Christine and the Queens.

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The 2018 edition of iconic punk rock festival Warped Tour, the US’s last remaining major touring festival, it to be its last, founder and promoter Kevin Lyman has announced.

In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Lyman (pictured) said the 24th edition of Warped Tour, since 1996 sponsored by Vans, will be the festival’s “final, full cross-country run”. After working with more than 1,700 bands over 23 summers, he says, “with many mixed feelings” the time is right to step away.

“In 1995, I had already worked many years in the music business, including spending four summers on the Lollapalooza tour, and I thought, ‘For one summer, I would like go out and put on my own show’, mixing music and action sports,” explains Lyman. “With the support of so many people, I have now spent the last 23 summers bringing that show to a city near you. We have brought that show to over 11 million people around the world and watched that same world change while doing so.

“I have been proud to work with so many artists who have grown to be some of the largest stars in the world. Countless bands have played in hot parking lots and through summer storms for you at some point.

“Bands like Quicksand, Sublime, L7, No Use for A Name and No Doubt jumped on in the very first year. Touring many summers with my friends and peers like – Pennywise, Social Distortion, NOFX, Bad Religion, the Descendents, Less than Jake, Dropkick Murphys, the Bouncing Souls, Rancid, Flogging Molly, Anti-Flag and the Offspring are just some of my fondest memories. More include having Blink-182 travel on my bus in 1997 when the world opened up to them and made them the superstars they are today.”

He continues: “The Vans Warped Tour was the platform to witness the rise of pop punk, with Sum 41, Simple Plan, MXPX, New Found Glory and Good Charlotte, [and] the birth of emo, with bands like Thrice, Thursday, the Used, Taking Back Sunday, the Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack and Jimmy Eat World.

“Fast-forward to the summer in 2005 when TRL and Warped Tour helped launch the careers of Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and Avenged Sevenfold.

“I have been proud to work with so many artists who have grown to be some of the largest stars in the world”

“I witnessed Warped alumni like the Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, No Doubt and even Kid Rock play the Super Bowl. I’ve even had the pleasure of seeing Green Day play the Rose Bowl.

“More recently, I’ve watched bands start out on a small stage and work their way up to the main stages by meeting as many fans as possible and continuing to hone their craft while on the tour. Bands like Paramore, A Day To Remember, Sleeping With Sirens, Pierce The Veil, Echosmith, Motionless in White, Black Veil Brides, Every Time I Die, Neck Deep, Beartooth and so many more.

“What has always made me proud was when I read that Warped was the most diverse show of the summer, where you could find Eminem and Ice-T on the same stages as Sevendust, Pennywise, and 7 Seconds.

“I am so grateful to have worked with more than 1,700 bands over the last 23 summers. I wish I could thank every band that has played the tour.”

Elaborating on the end Warped Tour in an interview with Billboard, Lyman said a range of factors – including an increasingly competitive summer festival market, a shrinking pool of available talent and declining ticket sales among the festival’s teenage demographic – had all contributed to his decision to cancel.

As for the 2018 line-up, Lyman says he’s “gotta have Less than Jake and Every Time I Die”, with the Maine, Mayday Parade, Eminem, Fall Out Boy and Blink-182 also on his wishlist.

The 2018 tour kicks off on 21 June in Pomona, California, and wraps up in West Palm Beach, Florida, on 5 August.

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