Barcelona was already melting when Amyl and the Sniffers took over Razzmatazz last night. One of two sold-out nights — both snapped up months ago — the gig promised exactly the kind of sweaty chaos you’d expect from a band who have made a career out of turning punk’s most basic ingredients into something wildly joyful.
The mood was set before the band even appeared, with the DJ blasting Benny Benassi’s Satisfaction. Joy and fun were very much on the agenda. It was the middle of August, the city was in the grip of a heatwave, and Amy Taylor acknowledged the obvious: it was fucking hot. Nobody cared. We were all quite happy to get even sweatier.
Opening with Control from their debut album, the band came out firing on all cylinders. The mosh pit erupted almost immediately to the right of the stage, while Amy delivered the night’s mission statement: “I like staying up all night. I like being treated right. I like proving people wrong. It probably means I’ll die alone.” From there, things only got rowdier. By three-quarters of the way through the set, even the more subdued pockets of the crowd were rioting.
Drawing from across their three albums, the set felt like a greatest hits of sorts, while also looking forward to Truth or Consequence, due in two weeks. The record is the soundtrack to the band’s new concert film and features stripped-back, country-inflected versions of some of their biggest songs.
What makes an Amyl show particularly special, though, is who gets invited into the chaos. Too often, female artists are still primarily supported by the girls and gays. Amyl and the Sniffers happily smash that expectation. Their pre-show message made the rules clear: “Take care of each other.” No sexual assault, no discrimination — just a sweaty, inclusive pit where everyone can lose their mind.
Our highlight was Guided by Angels, which saw Amy practically rap her way through the track, giving absolutely everything she had. The encore closed with Got You, the room screaming “I don’t care” in unison, before Amy used the moment to shout “Free, Free Palestine.”
Hot, loud, gloriously chaotic and surprisingly wholesome: Barcelona got exactly the Amyl and the Sniffers show it deserved.
Amyl & The Sniffers played Barcelona’s Razzmatazz Primavera Tours.
For more upcoming tour see www.primaverasound.com/es/tours
All photos by Christian Bertrand
