Amyl And The Sniffers’ Amy Taylor: The 10 songs that changed my life

Amy Taylor from Amyl And The Sniffers reveals the song that made her lose control of her bowels, why raw is good, and daggy is definitely not…

“They’re an Australian kids’ band and they’re massive. They actually used to be in a band called The Cockroaches, but it’s The Wiggles I remember. I used to dance to them all the time when they were on TV. I never saw them live, but I met one of them backstage at a festival a year ago. He went, ‘Hey, are you in Amyl And The Sniffers?’ and I was like, ‘Holy fucking Christ, it’s a Wiggle!’”

“This is also very Australian, and it’s so much fun to sing along with. It’s got this call and response thing, and on the live version, which was a big hit, they sing, ‘Am I ever gonna see your face again?’ And the whole audience responds, ‘No way, get fucked, fuck off!’ I probably heard it through my parents, who would play stupid rock music all the time.”

“At first, it was seeing local bands like Drunk Mums and Dumb Punts that I found inspirational. They were from Melbourne and had big local followings, so I looked up to them before anyone else. In terms of a single song, though, I love Sick by Ceremony, who are an American punk band. It’s so raw and driving, and that was hugely influential for me and the band.”

“When we first started out, Stole My Pushbike somehow ended up being played on the local radio in Melbourne. It was only this small community radio station, but I remember we were sat in my friend’s car and we all shat ourselves when it came on! Like, ‘How the fuck did we end up on the radio?’ It was so exciting because this is actually my first band. I was so fucking stoked. Hearing our song being played on the radio was a dream come true for me. I actually thought we’d peaked as a band in that moment. It wasn’t going to get any better than that as far as I was concerned, so when you consider all the other mad stuff that’s happened since then, it’s been even more bizarre.”

“The boys in the band really like this lot, and they loved that shitty movie The Dirt. But Mötley Crüe shits me to tears, mate! I don’t like them at all, and I especially don’t like Kickstart My Heart because the boys always put it on before we go onstage. I’m like, ‘No, this is not the vibe.’ I just think it’s a bit bloody daggy.”

“I grew up in a pretty small town where no big bands ever really played, so I went to a lot of local shows by nondescript Australian hardcore bands. The first gig I ever saw was The Cat Empire, but I don’t talk about that and I definitely didn’t mosh at it either. So I think it probably would have been a band called Extortion, during Degenerate. That’s pretty rowdy, and I definitely would have moshed to it.”

“My all-time favourite is ...Sniff, because it’s so short and rowdy. When you play live it’s different things that connect each time. It depends on the audience and the time of the week. I really like the songs that are full of energy, but I can get pretty puffed out, so it’s good if they’re pretty short as well!”

“They’re, like, an Aussie hip-hop group and I love their lyrics. There’s a part that goes, ‘This life turned out nothing like I had planned / By now I should’ve had some land / Some money in my hand / ‘Round about 50 grand / But I got nothing / I write rhymes on the bus.’ It’s funny but it’s so true. When you think things are shit you know they do too, but they express it in a comical way. It’s so relatable.”

“I think the boys did a great job on this one. It makes me feel good when I sing the words, because I’m saying that I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I’m unapologetically me and if you don’t like it, well, stuff ya!”

“Hopefully I won’t be dying any time soon, but when I do I’d like something funny that makes everyone laugh, like this. It would also annoy some people because I play it all the time.”