10 punk songs Amy Taylor thinks you need to hear
Love him or loathe him, John Lydon was a huge part in spearheading the punk movement. Protest music had existed long before him, but he was one of the first voices to go mainstream singing songs that were anti-authority. While we might disagree with a lot of what he says now, there is no denying that if the punk movement is ripples in water, Lydon is the sinking stone that caused them.
That’s enough praise for Lydon, as there is nothing we can say that the self-obsessed anarchist hasn’t already said to himself in a mirror. When talking about the inspiration he had for the punk movement, he first spoke about the dire situation the country is in, and then said how, despite there being a range of punk bands who started making music after him, none of them quite managed to get it right.
He described Britain as “a very depressing place,” clarifying, “There was trash on the streets, total unemployment – just about everybody was on strike, if you came from the wrong side of the tracks, then you had no hope in hell and no career prospects at all.”
He continued, “Out of that came the Sex Pistols and then a whole bunch of copycat wankers after us.”
This is a harsh comment, but one that Lydon always held close to his chest, as he felt as though very few punk bands were able to properly articulate anger in the way that he did. With this in mind, it would be interesting to get his take on Amyl and the Sniffers, a band who were certainly in some way influenced by the Sex Pistols but who champion an unrelenting punk sound in the modern age better than any other musical outfit out there.
There is anger on display throughout their music, which is evident, but there is also humour, self-love, and an ability to dream about something better. They take the seeds of punk and grow something beautiful with them, something that stays true to the genre’s roots but also leans into a new sound that is unlike anything that came before.
There are a number of influences which play a part in Amyl and the Sniffers’ definitive sound. As said previously, the Sex Pistols are certainly there, but there are also hints of great rhythm guitarists protruding through every hard-hitting guitar line that the band put out there, which is the influence of people such as Keith Richards and Malcolm Young.
Most importantly, the band keep their ear close to the ground when listening to new music. They are able to strike this perfect blend of something established and something emerging because of their adoration of those who made music before them and their equal respect for those who make music at the same time as them. It goes without saying that if you want to listen to good, modern punk music, you should listen to Amyl and the Sniffers and the other bands that Amyl and the Sniffers recommend.
Lead singer Amy Taylor previously recommended ten of her favourite punk songs, a lot of them from local bands dotted around the Melbourne scene where the band found their feet. This is headphone music at its best, songs that should be played loud and that represent a new interpretation of an old ideology.
Punk songs recommended by Amy Taylor:
- NASHO – ‘Land Kills’
- The Dreggs – ‘Tunnel’
- COFFIN – ‘Above The Law’
- Graveyard Lust – ‘On Patrol’
- Parsnip – ‘Health’
- Coloured Balls – ‘Devils Disciple’
- Hank Wood and the Hammerheads – ‘It’s Hard On The Streets’
- School Damage – ‘Tall Poppies’
- Mini Skirt – ‘Security’
- Total Control – ‘Flesh War’
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