Amyl and The Sniffers are the pinnacle of Australian culture. They perfectly capture the unrelenting, beer chugging, mullet-toting sliminess you’d only see at your local pub.

Seeing them at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl wasn’t quite the venue I expected for an Amyl concert—it felt way too spaced out and polished. Only a certain section of the crowd could mosh, while the rest were stuck watching them from the lawn. I don’t think watching from a patch of grass is how you get the full Amyl and The Sniffers experience.

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to secure a place in the mosh, which felt like a punk show in the truest sense: a wild, sweaty and chaotic exchange between the band and crowd that’s bigger than just a concert. I did fear for my life a few times as I was thrashed into the barricades and people, but I would expect nothing less from a punk rock concert of this scale.

Frontwoman Amy Taylor came on stage, untamed and unapologetic in a bikini made from whoopie cushions. I managed to push my way to the very front of the crowd, where Taylor spectacularly dazzled me, as she screamed the lyrics of ‘Tiny Bikini’ into a portable fan.

She began the set with a fervent political speech and she carried that energy through the whole performance, often introducing the songs with some line of advocacy, whether that be for women’s rights in ‘Me and The Girls’, or a “FUCK TRUMP” rant before the song ‘Jerkin’.

Taylor really is for female rage—it felt so good screaming at the top of your lungs, gesticulating the middle finger to the lyrics ‘You Should Not Be Doing That’ lyrics “You were down in Melbourne saying FUCK THAT BITCH!” Other favourites of mine that were performed include ‘Security’, ‘Big Dreams’ and, of course, the upbeat standout ‘Hertz’. I’ve never sworn so much in my life, but that’s what makes Taylor so quintessentially Australian—our vernacular does virtually consist of “tits”, “cunt” and “fuck”. There may have been unintentional nip slips, spit leaving mouths and concertgoers uncontrollably tossed around, but in the moment, I felt the true fury and liberation associated with unfiltered, explosive punk rock.

I left the venue covered in sweat with a huge grin and my ears ringing. Not only was the concert a celebration, but also an emotional catharsis from Trump’s presidency, a society that hates women, the devastating war in Palestine and a world that is overall shit. Being among the crowd made me feel empowered and hopeful that there are good, passionate people who exist. Amyl and The Sniffers truly bring people together, all under the guise of a good old fashioned mosh pit.