One of the biggest stories from the 2025 ARIA Awards was the domination of Amyl and the Sniffers.
The Melbourne-based punk band swept the night, winning four trophies and captured the country’s attention with their politically-charged speeches and irreverent humour.
Known for their raw garage rock sound and unapologetically aggressive live performances, the band is made up of four members: vocalist Amy Taylor, guitarist Dec Martens, drummer Bryce Wilson, and Gus Romer on bass.
Since forming in 2016, they’ve built a reputation for brute-force musicianship, pounding drums, snarling guitars, and the fiercely charismatic lead vocals and stage presence of Amy.
Their discography includes their self-titled debut album (2019), Comfort to Me (2021), and most recently Cartoon Darkness (2024).
Beyond their wins at the ARIAs, they were also nominated for their first Grammy award in 2025. They’re up for the Best Rock Performance award for ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’.
Here, we’ve got everything you need to know about the Australian band.
What did Amyl and the Sniffers win at the 2025 ARIA Awards?
At the 2025 ARIA Awards, Amyl and the Sniffers dominated the night, walking away with four major trophies.
They took home Album of the Year for their album Cartoon Darkness, along with Best Group and Best Rock Album.
They also won Best Cover Art, with credit going to John Stewart and Thomas Rennie who the band worked with on the project.
What did Amyl and the Sniffers say in their 2025 ARIAs speech?
A big highlight from the night were the speeches Amy gave, which were laced with political statements, irreverent jokes, and her trademark humour.
While accepting Album of the Year, she quipped that the victory made her feel like “the new Prime Minister of Australia,” before declaring, “all immigrants welcome… land back, the dole’s going up, and every pub gets a million dollars.”
She later confessed, “We’re really not that good at speeches,” before shouting, “Fuck the world!”
Why are they called Amyl and the Sniffers?
The band’s name comes from the slang term “Amyl,” short for amyl nitrite, which is a recreational inhalant drug (aka poppers).
According to Amy, they chose the name because their music is as intense and fleeting as the drug’s effect. “You sniff it, it lasts for 30 seconds and then you have a headache,” she explained in an interview with the BBC. “And that’s what we’re like.”
Who is the lead singer of Amyl and the Sniffers?
The lead singer of Amyl and the Sniffers is 29-year-old Amy Taylor.
She’s central to the band’s identity and presence, often serving as the driving force for their sound and aesthetic.
How did Amyl and the Sniffers become a band?
The group formed in 2016 when Amy was living with Bryce Wilson, Dec Martens, and Gus Romer in a shared house in Melbourne.
The four friends decided to make a few tracks “for fun,” recording their first EP, Giddy Up, in just 12 hours.
What started as a spur-of-the-moment creative project quickly grew into a full-blown band once their rough, explosive sound caught attention online and within the Melbourne punk scene.
In the nine years since their formation they’ve played at some of the biggest festivals in the world such as Coachella and Glastonbury, as well as picking up various awards such as the ARIAs they won in 2025.
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