
1 February 2025 – The Tivoli, Brisbane – words by Cody-James Henderson – pictures by Bec Harbour
A powerful indigenous woman, 2 men of colour and a feminist punk band walk into a bar. They don’t order anything but the oppressive white men running the place are terrified. And they should be. Because Amyl and the Sniffers are here to change the narrative and they’re not alone.
One of Australia’s absolute finest bands have torn across the country in support of their almost chart topping 2024 album Cartoon Darkness and have equipped Miss Kaninna and UK sensations Bob Vylan to assist in their inevitable takeover. On the tours final night in Brisbane, we were lucky enough to attend to bear witness to the future unfolding before our eyes.
MISS KANNINA: The purest form of happiness in performance comes from an artist that is comfortable in their own skin. In the case of the ever magical Miss Kaninna it comes from being a proud Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirandhali sovereign Aboriginal woman on Meanjin land.
A history maker in her own right as the first ever independent Indigenous woman to be nominated for a debut single at the ARIA Awards, her power extends beyond a solo career that is only 3 years old. From the moment she shows her pride on stage, you immediately feel more empowered, alive, revolutionised. She is proudly equipped with the greatest weapon of all; a voice that refuses to be silenced. If she’s not speaking of her proudness to be an Aboriginal woman, she demands your attention with her stage presence, owning her body and using it to make the most powerful statement.



Miss Kannina – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
As she busts through ‘Pinnacle Bitch’ crossing everything from being able to freely say “Fuck the Police”, not complying to a system that is abhorrently racist against indigenous peoples or freely owning her body, her sexuality and the freedoms all women are entitled too, I forget I am just watching a show; I am learning, I am understanding that I don’t understand. I am witnessing empowerment, a voice of representation for women, for people of colour, for the elders past, present and future. With ‘Blak Brittney’ at the helm, Kaninna delivers heart breaking cry of the governments constant abuse of imprisoning young Aboriginal Youths that feeds them into the prison system. A powerful “Fuck the Commonwealth. I am a proud sovereign Aboriginal Woman” leads us into the history making track. Kaninna’s ability to commandeer is influential, turning a crowd ready to burst with energy into a see of fists in the air, women’s voices amplified and heads bopping to the beat.
Anyone who believes hip hop has no place being a part of a Rock and Roll show needs a reality check. The grounds that Miss Kaninna stands upon not only belong her, but further empower her to lead us into a better nation going forward. The crowd here tonight are only greater for being able to witness one of most eye opening, awe inspiring performances this venue has ever bear witness too.
BOB VYLAN: A structure of road cases bears a flag reading “Bob Vylan is killing Punk Rock”. An Interesting statement to say the least that had those unaware of the English Duo ambitious as to what was about to unfold. ‘Senses Working Overtime’ by XTC is playing loudly over the speakers, a fitting way to describe what is about to occur here for the rest of this evening.



Bob Vylan – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
“Brisneyland, I’ll tell you what’s going on. BOB FUCKING VYLAN IS GOING ON”
Starting the set with a stretching sessions accompanied by hard hitting punk rock, I feel the air radiating from the speaker stacks. The anonymous men that simply go by ‘Bobby Vylan’ on vocals and ‘Bobbie Vylan’ on drums (names to protect their identities) get the room shaking quite literally for ‘Dream Big’. The speaker stacks vibrate violently as the crowd starts to flip the switch and release their energy. This energy turns to laughter as Bobby asks why this city has so many nicknames. Especially ‘BrisVegas’ when there are no casinos that they had seen but a lot of sex shops.
After informing us through a quick story how they nearly didn’t make it to Australia after a confrontation with next door neighbours, ‘He’s a Man’ is dedicated to weak minded men who deserve “a knife in their neck” and ‘We Live Here’ ceremoniously dedicated to Miss Kaninna and the traditional custodians of this land. After Kaninna spoke about how the duo took the time to learn about her culture and the lands they are on, you realise that the duo are the personification of what it means to be Punk Rock. It’s not just down to the music being played, but the efforts that are taken to be powerfully and respectfully human beings.



Bob Vylan – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
The sheer scale of intensity and showmanship created by Bob Vylan appears to he happening without either member breaking a sweat. It’s absolutely admirable to witness and quite frankly it’s awe inspiring. It’s a reminder of why I fell in love with punk rock in the first place. It’s never been about the fame, it’s about the passion. There’s not a doubt in my mind or in anyone else’s that the passion presented by Bob Vylan is beyond the norm. And as a reward for their energy, tonight’s Brisbane crowd had their deafening “Vylan” chants recorded for their very next album.
You don’t fake the smiles that these two Bobs in a pod had tonight. Their love shines ever so brightly much like this dynamic duos future. With their schedule showing a headline tour coming our way next year, I can’t wait to see this again. By far, Bob Vylan aren’t killing punk rock. Instead, they have breathed a new life into it keeping it alive for generations to come.
AMYL and THE SNIFFERS: Tiny bikinis, freaks to the front, chewing gum and security. These are just some of things I’m seeing in a sold out venue before the show has even started yet. Summer might be entering its final stand for another year, but the heat in here is next level. It’s cramped, people are throwing up outside the bathroom, bodies are being removed for being heavily intoxicated or restless. It’s a punk rock show, baby.



Amyl and the Sniffers – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
I’ve never seen a show quite like this before it’s even begun and I can’t quite believe it’s only going to get crazier from here. Within seconds of the lights going down and ‘Destination Unknown’ blaring over the sound system, it doesn’t take long for the audience to dial it up to 11. Out trots Amy in a Zebra bikini top and chaps reminding everyone “If someone falls you pick them up. Don’t touch anyone that doesn’t want to be touched” then roaring into ‘Doing in me Head’ before a beautiful speech as to why the bands new album is called Cartoon Darkness. It’s about seeing the world as it is today, through a childlike mind and not for all the bullshit happening. But it’s time to take it right into a singing session with ‘Security’. Appropriately, the array of guards separating those looking for love from the givers are put to work catching crowd surfers and those looking to escape the intensity. With a constant smile on her face, Amy is loving every second of this madness unfolding in front of them. It’s hard not to. Watching from the sidelines I see the Vylan crew with Miss Kaninna, singing emphatically and watching on in pure glee. Every act has spoken about the level of friendship they have for each other tonight and it’s clear to see the level at which they all value each other.
Tonight’s backdrop is a large LED screen, showing multiple camera angles from backstage, a camera user in the photo pit, instrument cameras; any perspective you can think of it’s being shown. It turns this live performance into an almost live DVD for fans to witness in real time. But even with the views on screen, it’s hard to take your eyes off the level of showmanship that Amyl and the Sniffers are giving the Tivoli tonight. It’s unfortunate that some behaviours have seen a multitude of punters removed from the venue so far, but you can’t take away from the efforts of the band to power through and show exactly why they’re not just one of the most exciting bands in the Australian punk scene, but the entirety of the our music scene.



Amyl and the Sniffers – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
It’s classic after classic as the band tears through Cartoon Darkness tracks with some old school tracks sprinkled in between. The seamless transitions may have the standard ears think it’s all just one constant song. But for us freaks here tonight, it is a constant reminder of just how well crafted the genre of punk rock is. There’s no downtime, no need to swap out tunings, awkward breaks with overtly rehearsed scripting, it is just one after another giving this mostly incredible audience as much possible bang for their buck.
And as I say this, I hear Amy speak directly to the men in the audience telling them of the 101 women that were killed in Australia last year. Not to mention all of the additional assaults that weren’t reported, it is a genuinely heartbreaking realisation. No matter how much of her speech I type out, I couldn’t do Amy’s emotion any justice. What I will say is if you’re unfamiliar with the experiences that women face in the daily, then please listen to the bands song ‘Knifey’. If what you’re hearing doesn’t bother you, just know that it absolutely should.
Taylor quite literally flexes on the audience during ‘Some Mutts’ before dedicating ‘Jerkin’ to her cousin, reminding us how swear words can ease the tension of life. Tensions are further elevated for ‘Me and The Girls’ and ‘Tiny Bikini’ featuring Miss Kannina as women throughout the entire venue own the spaces around them. Whether it’s losing their minds in the mosh pit or spilling out into the bar dancing along, it’s beautiful to see generations of women owning these moments for themselves. Amyl might be for everyone to listen to, but these moments right here were for the girls specifically.



Amyl and the Sniffers – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
It’s hard for me to hear ‘You Should Not Be Doing That’ without picturing Steven Ogg dressed in a Penrith Panthers jersey working out alongside the band. But after tonight, I will instead picture a sold out Tivoli screaming it word for word, the floor on the mezzanine shaking under my feet while Amy stands atop the world with her middle fingers firmly in the air. This song was already timeless from the moment it released, but this is one of those moments you just had to be there for to really understand how wonderful it really was. A finale of ‘Hertz’ before an onstage celebration with Bob Vylan and Miss Kaninna, the band triumphantly returns for an encore of ‘Balaclava Love Boogie’ and ‘GFY’ (I’ll give you a wild guess as to what that stands for) caps off the bands 2 night stand at the Tivoli in absolute style.
For all its scattered and unhinged mayhem, the level of show that these 3 acts gave us tonight was nothing short of empowering. It was political, emotional, generational and down right sensational. I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it;
The future of punk rock is in the hands of Women, Queers, the indigenous people and people of colour. And its future is safe with them.