In a sticky pit full of punks, queers, hipsters, and everyone else in between I look up between heads to see Amy Taylor, the lead singer and songwriter of Amyl and the Sniffers, enter the stage accompanying her band. As she skips to the mic her boots seem to shake the earth underneath her. She says hello with a grin.
The crowd goes wild.
The show is full of energy and empowerment as Amy hops around on stage like a fire, drops to her hands and knees to thrust her head up and down, and flexes her glowing biceps to the crowd. Pure power.
Amyl and the Sniffers is an up-and-coming punk band from Australia that has been floating around my head for quite some time now. Amy’s music is speaking to what a lot of women and Feminine identifying people are feeling right now – that the space has not historically been welcoming to Fem presenting people.
Amy Taylor, who won best musician in Australia in 2020, sings and talks about current issues that affect her and many other women alike. A song from their most recent album “Knifey” talks about the dangers of not being able to walk in the dark as a woman. Another one of my favorite songs called “Don’t Fence Me In” talks about being tired of being shoved into a box of other people’s opinions. Their two most recent albums are a punch in the face with the representation of these issues.
In an interview hosted by Chloe Hayden, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkEwZATkzc8 Amy talks about the struggles of being a woman in the industry. “It is a male dominated industry, I’m essentially around males 99 percent of my life,… you know people grope me at shows, people speak to me like I’m less,… they still patronize me, ask me on dates inappropriately.” Amy said, “Sometimes I’m on stage and someone will come up and try to kiss me,..they just instantly mean nothing to me, it’s like if you’re gonna touch me I’m gonna touch you back, except with my foot.”
Let’s face it, women don’t receive the same amount of respect in the music industry as men. Over and over again we’ve seen it happen, for decades, women being objectified, sexualized and stereotyped. There’s an immense lack of respect in the industry and in the scene in general for not just women but the LGBTQ+ community as well.
A recent study shows that 34% of women face sexual assault or have been abused in the music industry, and that percentage is worse for trans and non-binary folks.
The constant objectification doesn’t help either, women’s talents are constantly overlooked and unrespected, leaving them viewed only for their image. The media applies constant pressure for female artists to look sexy, smooth and perfect, while most male artists are valued for their imperfections that add to their appeal.
One of my favorite quotes from Lady Gaga, said in an interview from 2009 “You see if I was a guy, and I was sitting here with a cigarette in my hand, grabbing my crotch and talking about how I make music ‘cause I love fast cars and fucking girls, you would call me a rockstar. But when I do it in my music and my videos because I’m a female, because I make pop music, you’re judgmental.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=habpdmFSTOo