Amyl and the Sniffers are back in town, but gone are the days of incendiary gigs in small rooms like The Deaf Institute and Gorilla. The last time I saw them, they destroyed Albert Hall, tonight it’s Manchester Academy’s turn to try and withhold the onslaught. The packed crowd might help. I’ve not seen it this jammed in here in quite a while. It’s a bit uncomfortable if I’m honest. The bloke behind me is complaining about them getting too popular. Granted we are right down the front, but the plan is to find a bit of room when the pit kicks off and I assure you it will. The new album is brilliant, probably their best yet and that’s where we start with ’Doing in Me Head’. Pints fly, ears buzz, this is going to be fast and ferocious. The band explode into ‘Freaks at the Front’ and the place goes mental. That space opens up, but shuts again fast, it’s like the room is breathing, heavily. I’ve thought of the new record having more scope, but songs like ‘Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)’ from their debut proves they’ve had this in them all along. They’re a collective powerhouse, a magnetic ball of energy, especially Amy who looks like she’s having more fun than the 1000 people watching her combined. Let’s face it we’re all watching her, she’s the focus and hard to take your eyes off, that’s if your eyes are facing forward, they might be facing the ceiling as you’re crowd surfing. ‘Do It Do It’ calms things down a bit, it’s a touch poppier and I’m thankful for a bit of a breather, everyone looks knackered. It’s the calm before ‘Security’ brings the storm… and amusingly and inflatable kangaroo. ‘Guided By Angels’ is visercal. This is a big room, but they way the pull everyone together, it feels like we’re squeezing into somewhere much smaller. Not necessarily physically (although there is that) but just the mood in the room. It’s ridiculously positive and intimate. Amy stalks the stage like a prize fighter on ‘Knifey’ and the people up on shoulders get thumbs up as she flexes and feeds off the crowd. ‘Bailing on Me’ brings more breakneck punk. The rhythm is tight, the riff fucking rocks. This is what they do best, like on ‘Maggot’ fusing pure punk, with good old no fucking around rock. Maybe it’s an Aussie thing, the mix is perfect. They tear through ‘Motorbike Song’ and stick with stuff from Cartoon Darkness with ‘Chewing Gum’. The new songs sound the most exciting to me, maybe because I’ve not heard them live before, but ‘Chewing Gum’ in particular is bloody catchy too and has everyone singing along. ‘Big Dreams’ stands out with its pace change. It’s slow, but everyone sings every word. It’s got a big build though and is lapped up by on those up on shoulders who spotted the chance to do this safely, of which there are now many. ‘It’s Mine’ then cranks it up. The drums sound like bombs going off as crowd surges and goes mental. ‘Got You’ is pure shouty joy and ‘Tiny Bikini’ is utter chaos as every girl around me goes bonkers. I’m pretty much surrounded and so have no choice but to join in. ‘Me and The Girls’, the next song, not my new friends, features a proggy vocoder. You didn’t see that coming did you! They really are much more than the sum of their parts. ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’ feels like the centrepiece of the set. It’s absolutely stunning and proof once again that they’re only getting better. Both ‘Facts’ and ‘Hertz’ are bedlam. One new one old, it doesn’t matter, this crowd know and love everything they play tonight. The encore kicks off with ‘Balaclava Lover Boogie’, it’s like someone’s found some extra rocket fuel backstage. It’s utter carnage, the joyous kind. As they close with ‘GFY’, you can smell the sweat. Heat radiating from everyone. It’s one of the most broad crowds I’ve seen at a punk gig, young and old, girls, boys and everyone in between, it’s beautiful. Are they the best punk band around? Yes I think so. The Academy is standing as we all shuffle out… but only just.
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