Amyl & The Sniffers had their free show in Melbourne shut down just minutes before they were set to take to the stage.
The gig was set to take place tonight (Friday November 14) at the Fed Square in the band’s Melbourne hometown. It was free entry and widely promoted in recent weeks, leading to thousands of fans gathering the site.
According to reports from Rolling Stone Australia and Blunt, the performance was cancelled by organisers at the last minute due to safety concerns. The decision was also made after a section of the barrier at the front of the crowd broke, causing a large number of fans to breach the barricade.
Screens at the venue showed showed a message that read, “Due to unexpected circumstances the event has been cancelled. Please leave the Square safely and follow the directions of venue staff.”
Amyl & The Sniffers took to social media to share their disappointment at the show being cancelled, and issue an apology to fans. “At Fed Square and fuming – ready to go,” they wrote.
“We are so sorry the show is cancelled due to the event not organising the proper security and barriers and the barriers being broken in has made them deem it unsafe to play. We are fuming and shattered and so so so so so so so so sorry!!! Fuck c**t,” they added.
Frontwoman Amy Taylor also shared her own statement online, saying, “We’re backstage, we would have loved to play. We’re devastated, the fucking fences got crushed in.
“Too many people. Fucking cops shut it down. Pissed as fuck. We’re just really apologetic and so sorry.”
They also went on to say that they had put a $5,000 (£2,490) tab on various bars around the city so disappointed fans could “have a drink on us”.
In a statement to Rolling Stone AU, Katrina Sedgwick, MAP Co Director & CEO said: “Unfortunately this evening, Fed Square was forced to cancel Amyl and The Sniffers’ show after multiple breaches of the perimeter fences caused a very high risk of crowd crushes.”
“It was unsafe for the audience, the staff and the band to continue with the show. We did not make the decision lightly and we are deeply, deeply sorry for any disappointment caused by this situation, however we simply could not continue,” Sedgwick continued. “Our sincere apologies to the band and their fans.The safety of our guests, our team and the community must always come first.”
The outlet also claims that sources on site said that, before the decision to scrap the show was made, fans were being turned away due to the venue being full capacity.
There have not yet been any updates on whether the gig will be rescheduled.
In other Amyl & The Sniffers news, the punk band were recently confirmed as joining Deftones at All Points East presents Outbreak Fest 2026 next summer. They will also be joining The Cure on the bill for Øya Festival.
