Latest news with #Sniffers
South Wales Guardian
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
‘Israel is committing genocide' beamed on screen at Fontaines DC gig
Grian Chatten, lead singer of the Irish post-punk band, struck a commanding presence on Saturday night as he walked along the gangway above the 45,000-person crowd. Wearing a kilt and a Sinead O'Connor t-shirt, he energised the audience, at times carrying the microphone by the pole or performing empty-handed. He rarely broke the music to speak, but dedicated one song to his 'little girl' and briefly echoed a chant of 'free Palestine' that was started by the audience. Grainy live recordings of the Finsbury Park performance and crowd played on large screens on either side of the stage. Both screens cut from the vintage-style footage to 'Free Palestine' written in the gothic font of the band's logo, as Chatten sang the I Love You lyrics: 'Selling genocide and half-cut pride, I understand. I had to be there from the start, I had to be the f****** man'. A piece of music equipment on the north London stage was wrapped in a Palestinian flag and onlookers also waved them in the crowd. Ecstatic fans of the five-person Brit award-winning band descended into mosh pits for several songs, including upbeat Here's the Thing. Their slower track Romance was preceded by a minutes-long montage of surreal clips, including a pig and a crying heart-shaped head in different snow globes. The last song finished and 'Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice' came up on the screens. Chatten closed the set with simply 'cheers London, thank you very much' and a wave. Prior to the performance, Chatten joined Kneecap, who were supporting, to perform their collaboration Better Way To Live. Wearing a silver jacket and glasses, he embraced and sang with the trio and shouted 'free Palestine'. Australian rock band Amyl and the Sniffers also warmed up for the band.
Leader Live
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
‘Israel is committing genocide' beamed on screen at Fontaines DC gig
Grian Chatten, lead singer of the Irish post-punk band, struck a commanding presence on Saturday night as he walked along the gangway above the 45,000-person crowd. Wearing a kilt and a Sinead O'Connor t-shirt, he energised the audience, at times carrying the microphone by the pole or performing empty-handed. He rarely broke the music to speak, but dedicated one song to his 'little girl' and briefly echoed a chant of 'free Palestine' that was started by the audience. Grainy live recordings of the Finsbury Park performance and crowd played on large screens on either side of the stage. Both screens cut from the vintage-style footage to 'Free Palestine' written in the gothic font of the band's logo, as Chatten sang the I Love You lyrics: 'Selling genocide and half-cut pride, I understand. I had to be there from the start, I had to be the f****** man'. A piece of music equipment on the north London stage was wrapped in a Palestinian flag and onlookers also waved them in the crowd. Ecstatic fans of the five-person Brit award-winning band descended into mosh pits for several songs, including upbeat Here's the Thing. Their slower track Romance was preceded by a minutes-long montage of surreal clips, including a pig and a crying heart-shaped head in different snow globes. The last song finished and 'Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice' came up on the screens. Chatten closed the set with simply 'cheers London, thank you very much' and a wave. Prior to the performance, Chatten joined Kneecap, who were supporting, to perform their collaboration Better Way To Live. Wearing a silver jacket and glasses, he embraced and sang with the trio and shouted 'free Palestine'. Australian rock band Amyl and the Sniffers also warmed up for the band.
Irish Independent
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Mark Beaumont: Protest is as much a part of the soul of Glasto' as the music
The Australian punks accused the media of 'trying to make it look like just a couple of isolated incidents and a couple of 'bad bands', so it appears the public isn't as anti-genocide as it is'. Pretty much every act I saw at this year's festival dropped a 'Free Palestine' in somewhere. 'The status quo has shifted majorly,' the Sniffers summarised – 'people are concerned and desperate for our governments to listen.' Amid such a fervent media furore, many seem frustrated that the dark spectre of politics has infiltrated their cosy sofa weekend watching Rod Stewart – which only highlights how disconnected the BBC-ified Glastonbury experience is from the fundamental meaning and history of the event. Ever since Michael Eavis gave out free milk in 1970 in the name of humanitarian togetherness, Glastonbury has been deeply political. In 1981, Eavis partnered with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), whose logo is still prominently placed at the top of the Pyramid Stage, with the aim of raising money for the organisation and promoting its message of nuclear disarmament. Throughout the Eighties and early Nineties, it was a haven not just for the Green Field's hippies but for the otherwise outcast traveller community – infusing the event with the politics of rebellion, environmentalism and social justice upon which its modern counter-cultural reputation was built. Every year, the Greenpeace Field shouts about the latest developments in the climate emergency, and the Leftfield tent hosts speeches and discussions on a vast array of political issues. And throughout its history, Glastonbury has been the place where major bands and figures make major statements. In 2005, Bob Geldof brought the Make Poverty History campaign to Worthy Farm. In 2017, the then leader of the Labour Party made a high-profile Pyramid Stage appearance, drawn to the home of the mass by an 'Oh, Jeremy Corbyn' chant – galvanising the youthful hope that had grown around him at the time. In 2022, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky crystallised the nation's solidarity with his country with a powerful video message to the Pilton masses. Waking up to the shock Brexit vote result in 2016, it was at Glastonbury that bands such as Bastille and Foals gave voice to Remoaner despair. And, three years later, it was during his dazzling headline set that rapper Stormzy – clad in a monochrome Union flag stab-proof vest – encapsulated the feelings of many in the nation when he got the vast, televised crowd chanting 'f*** Boris'. It may come as a shock to the TV audience that can bypass the politics pulsing from every corner of Worthy Farm each year (and particularly in 2025) with the flick of a red button, but brazen and confrontational stands on crucial issues of the day are what Glastonbury – and the passionate, sometimes angry young people who attend and play it – has always done. And will continue to do, especially now it's a public platform commanding viewing numbers in the millions. Glastonbury is far more than a big, flag-clogged gig on a farm – it's also a powerful source of righteous campaigning and high-profile tub-thumping, with many great and positive politicised moments under its belt. We might not agree with everything that's said here – we might find some of it unacceptable and shocking – but let's not be in any way surprised by it.
West Australian
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Rock royalty AC/DC ready to pass down crown to Melbourne punk outfit Amyl and the Sniffers
Is AC/DC passing the torch as Australia's biggest rock band? Embarking on their first tour of Australia in a decade, the ageing rock legends tapped Melbourne punk outfit Amyl and the Sniffers as the support act for the five-city run of shows in the Power Up tour at the end of this year. The nod to the emerging punk rock icons — who have played Glastonbury and Coachella so far this year — has sparked the question of whether AC/DC has nominated their successor to the title of the country's biggest rock export. Started in 2017 by four housemates, Amyl and the Sniffers is led by singer Amy Taylor — an outspoken 29-year-old whose on-stage presence mirrors that of the late great AC/DC singer Bon Scott. Joining Taylor are drummer Bryce Wilson, guitarist Declan Mehrtens and bassist Gus Romer, creating a classic rock sound with punk vibes and a thick, Aussie accent. Tour promoter Christo van Egmond said Amyl and the Sniffers matched AC/DC's live performance energy and attitude. They were his top recommendation to the band for openers, describing them as 'the natural choice'. 'Amyl and the Sniffers have absolutely blown up over quite a period. But they are very hot at the moment, and we're seeing them everywhere,' van Egmond said. 'In the pub rock genre they are at the top of their game, and certainly the biggest Australia has got to offer. 'It's a unique opportunity for them to play with their absolute heroes. 'One of the guys has got a huge AC/DC tattoo. They they love the band.' He said AC/DC fans can expect a performance which has good Australian pub rock energy. It's not the first time the band has been linked to AC/DC, with Taylor highlighting them as a major influence in previous interviews. The group covered AC/DC's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap at Perth's Highway to Hell festival in 2020, to rave reviews. One critic said they could be Scott's 'bastard children'. After the announcement the band would be joining AC/DC on tour, Taylor took to social media dubbing them the 'the best rock and roll band in the world'. 'I just can't believe it I am so excited. Never ever ever would have dreamed this. Highlight of my literal life,' she wrote, before adding, 'a band's music that's been weaved through my whole life.' 'Mainly just excited to see them play multiple times.' Van Egmond also revealed that each concert would be opened by a local support act, backing in the Perth live music scene by finding an up and coming band to play Optus Stadium for the two nights 'It's going to be an amazing series of concerts, and at a great time of the year with, you know, Amyl and the Sniffers as a great special guest and then some great local openers in in each in each of the markets,' he said. 'We're supporting the local music scene by having local openers, and then we're, you know, supporting the Australian music scene by having an Aussie band like Amyl and the Sniffers.' It comes as tickets for the second and final Perth show on December 8 went on sale on Monday, with organisers saying sales were strong. After announcing shows across Australia last week, the band scheduled a second concert in each city after tickets sold at an average rate of 1200-a-minute Ticketek, the official ticketing provider for most of the Australian shows, said last Thursday marked the largest concert on-sale day in its 40-year history, eclipsing AC/DC's previous record for its Black Ice World Tour in 2009. 'This second Perth show will definitely be the final show that will be added to the Australian tour,' van Egmond said 'We can confirm that absolutely no further shows will be added to the Australian leg.'
Perth Now
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Aussie punk outfit could take crown as biggest rock band
Is AC/DC passing the torch as Australia's biggest rock band? Embarking on their first tour of Australia in a decade, the ageing rock legends tapped Melbourne punk outfit Amyl and the Sniffers as the support act for the five-city run of shows in the Power Up tour at the end of this year. The nod to the emerging punk rock icons — who have played Glastonbury and Coachella so far this year — has sparked the question of whether AC/DC has nominated their successor to the title of the country's biggest rock export. Started in 2017 by four housemates, Amyl and the Sniffers is led by singer Amy Taylor — an outspoken 29-year-old whose on-stage presence mirrors that of the late great AC/DC singer Bon Scott. Joining Taylor are drummer Bryce Wilson, guitarist Declan Mehrtens and bassist Gus Romer, creating a classic rock sound with punk vibes and a thick, Aussie accent. Tour promoter Christo van Egmond said Amyl and the Sniffers matched AC/DC's live performance energy and attitude. They were his top recommendation to the band for openers, describing them as 'the natural choice'. 'Amyl and the Sniffers have absolutely blown up over quite a period. But they are very hot at the moment, and we're seeing them everywhere,' van Egmond said. 'In the pub rock genre they are at the top of their game, and certainly the biggest Australia has got to offer. 'It's a unique opportunity for them to play with their absolute heroes. 'One of the guys has got a huge AC/DC tattoo. They they love the band.' He said AC/DC fans can expect a performance which has good Australian pub rock energy. It's not the first time the band has been linked to AC/DC, with Taylor highlighting them as a major influence in previous interviews. The group covered AC/DC's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap at Perth's Highway to Hell festival in 2020, to rave reviews. Angus Young of AC/DC performs during the 'Power Up' North America Tour at BC Place on April 22, 2025 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Credit: Andrew Chin / Getty Images One critic said they could be Scott's 'bastard children'. After the announcement the band would be joining AC/DC on tour, Taylor took to social media dubbing them the 'the best rock and roll band in the world'. 'I just can't believe it I am so excited. Never ever ever would have dreamed this. Highlight of my literal life,' she wrote, before adding, 'a band's music that's been weaved through my whole life.' 'Mainly just excited to see them play multiple times.' Van Egmond also revealed that each concert would be opened by a local support act, backing in the Perth live music scene by finding an up and coming band to play Optus Stadium for the two nights 'It's going to be an amazing series of concerts, and at a great time of the year with, you know, Amyl and the Sniffers as a great special guest and then some great local openers in in each in each of the markets,' he said. 'We're supporting the local music scene by having local openers, and then we're, you know, supporting the Australian music scene by having an Aussie band like Amyl and the Sniffers.' It comes as tickets for the second and final Perth show on December 8 went on sale on Monday, with organisers saying sales were strong. After announcing shows across Australia last week, the band scheduled a second concert in each city after tickets sold at an average rate of 1200-a-minute Ticketek, the official ticketing provider for most of the Australian shows, said last Thursday marked the largest concert on-sale day in its 40-year history, eclipsing AC/DC's previous record for its Black Ice World Tour in 2009. 'This second Perth show will definitely be the final show that will be added to the Australian tour,' van Egmond said 'We can confirm that absolutely no further shows will be added to the Australian leg.'
