Amyl And The Sniffers Respond To Assault Allegations At Brisbane Show

This article mentions sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. If you or someone you know is affected by these experiences and needs to contact someone, please contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.

Amyl And The Sniffers have issued a statement addressing incidents of alleged assault at their recent show in Brisbane.

The Melbourne punk band headlined The Tivoli last Friday (31 January), and this week, a fan shared an Instagram Story and alleged their friend was subject to sexual assault, harassment, and racial abuse.

The Instagram story also indicated that anyone who saw the alleged incident should contact The Tivoli and Amyl And The Sniffers. The social media user then urged the alleged perpetrator to report their actions to the police and seek help by contacting 1800 RESPECT.

The abuse allegations caught the attention of the band, who shared a statement via their Instagram Stories today.

“It’s come to my attention that some people at The Tivoli show experienced assault,” the statement began. “That’s so fked up. Thanks to the people who spoke up; your voice is always heard.

“This is not the first time something has got back to us about a person (mostly women) experiencing assault at a show. I have said this a million times, in a million ways, so I don’t know why you aren’t listening to me, but don’t touch anyone who doesn’t want to be touched.”

Amyl And The Sniffers added that their shows allow “consensual moshing only.”

“F*** anyone who [hasn’t] got it clear that this is not a space for groping or worse,” the band continued. “Don’t come to the show if [you’re] about that.”

Acknowledging that incidents of assault at shows are unfortunately commonplace (“sadly, music is not a sanctuary from society”), the band continued their statement with another Instagram Story.

“This is probably the sixth or so time I’ve had to write something like this about assault specifically, so I’m at the end of my tether,” the statement reads. “Gals, I know you you know Amyl shows are for you to let it rip. It’s mostly men, so I want to address the boys.

“Everyone’s from different walks of life, so here’s some ways you might be able to help. I love men and blokes and boys because they’re rich tapestries. So fellas, are you really gonna let the shit ones represent you and give you a bad name?”

The band asked, “If you see that the pit is dudes only, can you make space for the ladies, too? Can you check in on the gals if it looks like a dude’s being creepy? Maybe this is weird to do, so you could always ask venue staff to check for you.

“If someone looks like they’re struggling, can you ask if they need help or get them to venue staff for help? You got a friend being way too drunk or saying off-putting shit? Let them know to shut the f up.”

You can view screenshots of the stories below.

Amyl And The Sniffers via Instagram Stories

Amyl And The Sniffers have numerous songs about abuse and female empowerment. In 2021, the band released Knifey, an essential track about the ongoing fear of being alone on the street at night amongst young women and non-binary people across Melbourne and Australia following the tragic murders of Jill Meagher in 2012 and Eurydice Dixon in 2018.

On their latest album, Cartoon Darkness, the song Tiny Bikini explores bodily autonomy and peels back the layers of voyeurism and hypocrisy in the music industry. Meanwhile, U Should Not Be Doing That is a middle finger-up empowerment anthem dedicated to anyone who has a problem with Amy Taylor based on what she wears or being a woman in punk music.

Amyl And The Sniffers just wrapped their Australian tour. Next up, they’ll perform at Party In The Paddock festival before heading to New Zealand.