Amyl and the Sniffers shout Melbourne live music venues $35k in free drinks after gig cancelled
FROM THE ABC/Australia-Nice Gesture! Live Music Is Better Files!
WELL DONE!!
Were you there the night Amyl and the Sniffers shouted the city of Melbourne thousands of free drinks?
Perhaps like Woodstock, the number of people who say they were — who will tell mates they scored a beer from one of Australia’s most thrilling guitar bands — might stretch beyond reality.
What is true is that, in the space of a few hours, a bitterly frustrating moment was reconfigured into a lasting memory that summed up the very best of Melbourne’s live music community.
o recap — last night should have been a triumphant, crowning communal homecoming.
A free, all-ages gig at Federation Square in Melbourne’s CBD for an in-demand band celebrating an implausible ascent to stardom.
Take your pick from their recent honours.
Amyl and the Sniffers just sold-out a 10,000-capacity venue in London, capping off a mammoth run of international tour and festival dates.
On Wednesday, they supported no less than AC/DC at their earth-shaking MCG gig.
Last weekend they were nominated for a Grammy.
They currently have a song sound-tracking a Japanese car ad. Not bad for a Melbourne pub band.
On the Friday morning of the Fed Square gig, they encouraged fans on social media to be considerate of younger attendees, clearly mindful that this could be a big one.
Mere minutes before they were due to hit the stage, the show was abruptly cancelled.
The Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co), which operates Fed Square, said there had been multiple breaches of security barriers.
The decision to shut it down was “not made lightly” according to MAP Co chief executive Katrina Sedgwick, but the view was “it was unsafe for the audience, the staff and the band to continue”.
The band quickly took to their Instagram page.
“We’re devastated. We’re really apologetic,” said their magnetic lead singer Amy Taylor, sandwiched among some coarse language.
“We were really excited to play. We’re so sorry. Grrrr.”
Have a drink on us’
Then, a new post.
Taylor, still jittering with apology, announced the band was relinquishing their performance fee.
Five thousand dollars would go behind the bar at seven of the city’s small live music venues immediately.
“Have a drink on us,” she said in the video, that has since reached over one million views.
“Just have some fun tonight.”
That meant $35,000 worth of free drinks at The Tote, The Old Bar, The Curtin, Labour in Vain, Hell’s Kitchen, Last Chance Rock and Roll Bar, and Cherry Bar.
For a scene hanging on by a frayed guitar lead, that isn’t just generous — it’s unfathomable and unprecedented.
-Jeremy Story Carter-ABC-Australia