Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming
It was an Australian invasion Wednesday (10/18), as Amyl and The Sniffers packed the Waiting Room with a sold out show!
One Percent Productions is still playing the venue shuffle from construction delays at The Astro in La Vista. The outdoor amphitheater at the Astro has launched but the inside is still in the works. Since Chris Distefano had to be moved to the Admiral, Amyl shuffled over to the Waiting Room. Honestly, everything worked out for the best. With the show completely sold out it was a sweaty mob of punk rock goodness.
Texas rockers Die Spitz kicked the night off with their raucous youthful energy. The band walked on stage to "Waiting Room" by Fugazi, the venue's namesake. It went over swimmingly with the punk rock crowd, even if the song came out decades before many of them were born. Die Spitz had a raw, buzz saw-type sound with a touch of grunge. Die Spitz got the crowd moving early with lots of pogo dancing and a bit of circle pitting. Being the opener can be a tough job but these dudettes did a stellar job. Die Spitz's new album Teeth is out now!
Like a tornado, Amyl and The Sniffers hit the Waiting Room stage with a whirlwind of punk rock energy! Lead singer Amy Taylor was a ball of fire, moving from left to right and hitting these little frog jumps. The band kicked off the set with "Control" from their 2019 self-titled release. The Ramones-esque tune got the crowd worked up in a hurry. Many of Amyl's songs have a simple four on the floor pace, but the guitars shred and the rhythm section is super tight. You would never know these guys have only been a band since 2016 with how seasoned they sound.
One thing that surprised me was how well dressed the band was for a bunch of punkers! Amy in particular was a vision of Debbie Harry with platinum blonde hair, smoky eyeliner, fresh nails, and a black leotard with jewelry. Guitarist Declan looked like a young Mel Gibson with his flowing hair and tight black shirt. Even bass player Gus had a Rolex hat. Ok, drummer Bryce had a "Cocaine Piss" shirt, punk rock cred restored.
Amy made sure to point out all the young ladies in the audience and that she was there to represent them. This was met with cheers from all. There were signs all over the venue that declared Amyl shows are a safe space for all races, genders, and ages. Several times throughout the show Amy made her way to the front to sing with the fans and give lots of hugs.
The band had plenty of playful banter throughout the set, but they sure did have some thick accents! I was able to follow most of it, but there was a joke about the meaning of "See you next Tuesday" and then everyone started chanting an expletive I can't say here. It was wild stuff man!
For a solid hour Amyl and The Sniffers melted our faces with songs across their whole discography. One of the biggest pops in the set came from the song "Guided By Angels" which was my introduction to the band.
For the last couple years Amyl have been absolute road dogs hitting cities all over the world. Amyl has a handful of U.S. dates left before a seven day stint through their home country Australia to cap off 2023. Next year they have five dates doing stadiums with the Foo Fighters! Omaha definitely got lucky as I'm sure this will go down as a "I saw them when" show.
Huge thanks to Amyl's management for photo access.
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Amyl and The Sniffers Gallery:
