Amyl and the Sniffers’ frontwoman Amy Taylor sat down for the ILMC Futures Forum keynote on Friday, recounting how the Australian punk group skyrocketed to global acclaim.

Taylor dug into the cost of touring, keeping audiences safe, and the importance of artist involvement with BBC Introducing’s Abbie McCarthy to close out the final day at the 37th edition of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), held last week at London’s Royal Lancaster.

Formed in a Melbourne share house in 2016, Taylor, Dec Martens (guitar), Gus Romer (bass) and Bryce Wilson (drums) have taken stages across the world by storm over their near-decade of existence. The BRIT-nominated group – who are represented by agent Alex Bruford and Will Church of ATC Live in Europe/Asia/LatAm – released their third album Cartoon Darkness to critical acclaim last October and will embark on a whirlwind world tour this year in support.

“As an Australian band, we’ve always toured really hard overseas,” Taylor said. “When we first started, we would usually come on tour for like four months at a time, because we were doing the Northern Hemisphere.

“We’d fly over to the UK, do all the UK and Europe, then fly to America and do all of that, because we couldn’t really afford to fly back in between, and we were still not making any money. So there was a lot of sacrifice.”

“The actual music side isn’t an income thing anymore. Playing live is the only income”

Despite churning out music and performing for years, Taylor said the group didn’t turn a profit until after the pandemic. She cited the steep cost of international touring, specifically visa expenses, and how evolving recorded and live music landscapes are hindering artists.

“Nobody’s making money off of physical merch, because of recession and because everyone’s streaming, so the actual music side isn’t an income thing anymore,” she said. “Playing live is the only income. But nobody’s going out to shows because it’s like a changed social environment, like post-Covid. A lot of people don’t really feel comfortable in those spaces, like going to shows is just not a priority when you’re trying to pay the bills, and it’s just one piece of a whole puzzle.”

Amyl and the Sniffers are renowned for their explosive live shows, delivering rough and rowdy shows to hungry fans across the globe. Though anger is a driving emotion behind these gigs, Taylor has prioritised safety for audiences.

“Feminism is at the forefront of our music, and unfortunately in live music spaces, including our own, there’s still so much sexism,” she said.

The group has taken extra measures to try and keep fans safe, including signage across venues calling out racism, sexism, and classism, alongside additional security briefings and on-stage discussion to help stamp out issues at the shows.

“I’d rather go to the conservative places and upset them than fail to make a bit of noise”

“Even with all the things we put in place, it actually still exists. Music is like a microcosm of society and the culture that we live in. It’s a reflection of the society and the culture that we’re living where misogyny can go unchecked and it can bleed into everything.

“I’m really hands-on on the business side of things, not just performance. This year, we’ve got around 90 shows and saying, minimum, there are 1,000 people at that show, that’s at least 90,000 people this year that we have to make sure are safe,” she added.

With an extensive touring record — including support slots for Foo Fighters, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Weezer — taking them to venues and festivals around the world, Taylor said the band doesn’t shy away from playing more conservative markets.

“It’s good to talk to those people because, really, they’d be more isolated in those areas,” she said. “To say you had a really religious upbringing, and you couldn’t be a queer person, it’s probably nice to see us freaking out on stage or something like that.

“I’d rather go to the conservative places and upset them than fail to make a bit of noise. That’s what it’s all about.”

On stage, Taylor is also known for her bold and scantily clad wardrobe, something she says she finds empowerment in.

“If I can help it, I won’t let that be dragged through the mud because of ignorance”

“In a lot of my life, I actually don’t feel empowered and I don’t feel liberated, and I feel really trapped and suffocated. Wearing tiny clothes is a way that I feel really strong, and I feel really free. For me, wearing that on stage and being extremely feminine at some points is a way for me to just reclaim that, and show that femininity isn’t weakness.”

A powerhouse on and off the stage, Taylor also highlighted the importance of artists being involved in the business side of things.

“It’s impossible to be across everything, and we have a great team of people that we work with,” she added. “I’m just trying to keep my eyes on as much as I can — I think that’s really important for artists.

“It’s my life and it’s my face… That’s my reputation. And if I can help it, I won’t let that be dragged through the mud because of ignorance.”

Nonetheless, she spoke highly about her management, Simone Ubaldi and Andrew Parisi of Sundowner Artists, and touring teams. Amyl and the Sniffers are also repped on the live scene by Arrival Artists (NA) and Supersonic (AUS/NZ).

“I choose to do something different, and they don’t have to come along with me”

“They always have our best interest at the forefront,” she said. “We’re not like cash cows to anybody, even though we did produce milk.

“We’re actually people to them. We have a voice to all of them, and they do want to hear our inputs and our thoughts, and they’ll rationalise with us, rather than infantilise us.”

With a massive year on the cards — including supporting The Offspring across South America, festival plays like Coachella and Hurricane/Southside, and a headlining trek culminating at London’s 10,250-capacity Alexandra Palace — Amyl and the Sniffers are undoubtedly on an unstoppable trajectory.

Despite their beginnings as a pub-rock band touring small Australian venues, Taylor concluded that the band’s expression and message have since evolved well beyond a more static punk scene.

“It’s a spirit that we embody, full stop, and nobody can take that away, because it’s something that’s within us. It’s like a rebellion and freedom, rather than like something to be gatekept,” she said.

“If they want to stay stuck inside those cages, they can, but I choose to do something different, and they don’t have to come along with me.”

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Renowned agent Marty Diamond regaled ILMC with stories of Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and Barack Obama during the Futures Forum 2023 keynote interview.

Having founded the celebrated boutique agency Little Big Man Booking in 1994 and after stints working at International Talent Group (ITG), Arista, PolyGram and Bill Graham Management, US-based Diamond is regarded as one of the most forward-thinking executives in the business. His current roster includes acts such as Coldplay, Sheeran, Liam Gallagher, Janelle Monáe, Sigur Rós and Lorde.

Discussing his path through the agency world, the EVP and managing executive of Wasserman Music brought this year’s conference at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel to a close last Friday (3 March). Here are a selection of standout moments from his hour-long conversation with BBC Radio 1’s Abbie McCarthy…

“I started to have clients that meant something. But I also realised that I didn’t have the ability to service them the way that I probably should have”

Starting Little Big Man Booking…
“I either was somebody who couldn’t hold down a job, or had the attention span the span of a gnat. But ultimately I worked for a company called ITG, which was owned by Wayne Forte and Michael Farrell. Their clients were Duran Duran, Jesus Jones, David Bowie, Genesis, Phil Collins and The Cure. They were the gold standard of agencies. They were two really good people, but all good things come to an end and I was kind of at a loss because the partnership split up and I was at this crossroad of, what do I do? I was asked by each of them to come to work for them, and I realised that I probably should just go and do something on my own. I moved across the street to my friend Jim Grant’s office. The office he was giving me was a storage closet for one of his bands’ guitars. It was about 5ft x 5ft. But I started Little Big Man in [that] office. I had a handful of clients, and I originally started with one employee, a guy named Larry Webman. Larry is still with me. And then I hired this girl Tammy [Shin-Sprotte], who also worked at ITG.”

Moving to Paradigm…
“We had become a very successful little boutique agency. We moved out of that little space that was a phone closet, to Lower Manhattan on Sixth Avenue, and I started to have clients that meant something. But I also realised that I didn’t have the ability to service them the way that I probably should have. I went to work for a company called Paradigm, which I worked at for 15 years.”

“I remember Chris Martin saying to me, ‘I’m excited to be working with you. I have no intention of ever working in America'”

Discovering Ed Sheeran…
“A very good friend of mine, Scotty Brothman, told me that his label was signing this kid, Ed Sheeran, and I should be on it. I went to see Ed play in, I want to say it was Guilford, in a tiny little club. I’m not very tall, so a lot of times I go to shows and I look at the back of people’s shoulders. And I literally watched the entire show – other than the moment that Ed stood on a chair in the middle of the room – through someone’s cellphone under a dripping air conditioner. I ended up sitting on the steps outside his dressing room talking, and we became friends and I’m very happy to be a part of this team. It started in a little nightclub in Guilford, and now we’re doing 20 sellout stadiums in America.”

Working with Coldplay…
“It’s over 22 years for me and Coldplay. Phil Harvey, who’s part of the management team, was the original manager. Larry and I sat with Phil in a restaurant over by Shepherd’s Bush Empire to try to convince him to sign with us – this is when we were at Little Big Man – and we wouldn’t let him leave the restaurant until he said we represented the band. And then I went to see Coldplay at V Fest. I think it was their first round of festivals and they were on the second stage early in the day. And I remember Chris [Martin] saying to me, ‘It’s really great to meet you. I’m excited to be working with you. I have no intention of ever working in America.’ It was a moment of silence. But they’re amazing, and 22 years later, they’re in the midst of a massive stadium tour.”

“I remember President Obama bending down on his knees to talk to my daughter”

Career highlights…
“David Gray selling out Madison Square Garden during White Ladder… was an amazing moment. I actually think Ed playing Madison Square Garden might have been one of the most sensational moments in my life. I remember going to see Ed Sheeran on the first tour he did in America. He supported Snow Patrol, who were another client, and I had Janelle Monae in Washington DC the same night – she was doing the White House Easter Egg Roll when the Obamas were in the White House, so I was with my family during the day on the White House lawn with Janelle Monae. We got to meet the president, who I actually really liked – I can’t say that for many of our presidents – and I remember President Obama bending down on his knees to talk to my daughter. That was the beginning of my day. And the end of my day was sitting with Ed Sheeran, who at the time was smoking a cigarette after opening for Snow Patrol. I think we were three days into his presence in America and he’s like, ‘So when we play Madison Square Garden?'”

“I sleep three or four hours a night. My phone is next to my bed – probably not the best behaviour in the world”

What his average day looks like…
“I’ll give you my average day Los Angeles version, New York version and London version. They all start the same. The most important thing in my life is my family. My two girls are the most important thing. If I’m in LA, it’s 3am or 3.30am in the morning, I call my daughter Story to wake her. I called her at 11.30am today from London to wake up. I wake her in New York at 6am or 6.30am. That is the start of my day. Then I put my head down and I have a phenomenal team of people that I work with.”

The secret to his longevity…
“Well, I’ve been clean and sober for over 30 years. I think that’s part of it. Surrounding myself with good people is a really big part of it, and enjoying the people that I’m around. My girls are a big part of my longevity, they keep me strong, and they keep focused about being a sensitive, caring person. I fucking hate Mondays. I guess Bob [Geldof] was right when he said that, but I struggle with Mondays, I have a really hard time finding my rhythm. I don’t sleep a lot: I sleep three or four hours a night. My phone is next to my bed – probably not the best behaviour in the world. I get texts and emails from people saying, ‘When do you sleep? Why aren’t you asleep?’ A lot of times, I have no idea where I am so that sometimes plays a part!”

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