The Aussie four-piece shed/pub punk rock band – who have just released their ‘Cartoon Darkness’ album – are renowned for their energetic and chaotic live shows and videos, and an expectant, sold-out, Newcastle crowd certainly weren’t disappointed tonight as the band rolled out an explosive set. Everyone was craning to see and find a good spot on the balcony as they kicked off with the full-on assault of ‘Doing in Me Head’ and ‘Freaks to the Front’ and ‘Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)’, with heavy guitars to the fore along with a torrent of in-your-face lyrics. It wasn’t long before the band were hitting us up with the first track on the new album ‘Jerkin’. You can hear the influences of early AC/ DC, The Saints and Cosmic Psychos in their glorious racket/music, and their look brought to mind 1970s Sharpies, an Australian youth cult made up of an amalgamation of skinheads, glam rockers and mods. Frontwoman Amy Taylor – wearing short shorts and white vest, with clumpy black boots and seventies flicked blonde hair – was a whirlwind on stage and a magnetic presence. The crowd fed off her energy, which was infectious as she shouted, punched the air, headbanged and ran up and down the stage, jumping into the audience with a joyous lack of inhibition. She was ably backed by Gus Romer on bass, Bryce Wilson on drums (wearing a Newcastle Brown Ale t-shirt) and Declan Mehrtens playing electric guitar. Between songs, Taylor chatted about the worrying state of the world and later, on a lighter note, commented: “I think a lot about horses. Maybe they let themselves be domesticated, so maybe they’re a bit stupid. It’s something I think about all the time.” The only slow song was a favourite of mine, ‘Big Dreams’, Taylor’s voice reminding me of Courtney Love’s, as she held the mic out for the audience to sing along: “You wanna get outta here. Just take a breath and get yourself together, I swear. You got them big dreams.” ‘Tiny Bikini’, about the right to do what you like away from constraints and mixed messages, was sung in an exaggerated girlie/baby doll voice. Songs like ‘Me and The Girls’ and ‘You Should Not Be Doing That’ are pure blasts of Antipodean punk rock and witty/funny with it. “You and the boys look ugly as fuck. Me and the girls are drunk at the airport.” For the encore they finish with ‘Balaclava Lover Boogie’ and ‘GFY’, a perfect end to quite a night. It’s Amyl and the Sniffers’ time and they’re grabbing every moment and loving it.