A collaboration that took five years to record was not put on stage for the first time until August 30. Amy Taylor, the lead singer of Amyl & The Sniffers, appeared at the Viagra Boys' performance at FORWARDS Bristol 2026. The two sang their cover of John Prine's "In Spite Of Ourselves" - this was the first live performance of this version since it came out in 2020.
The performance took place at Clifton Downs. Taylor quoted the lyrics and wrote on Instagram afterwards: "Against all odds honey you're the big door prize." She added that this was the first time the two sang the song live, and paid tribute to Viagra Boys frontman Sebastian Murphy: "Sebastian, it was a pleasure singing with you."
"In Spite Of Ourselves" was originally a 1999 duet by John Prine with Iris DeMent, and is the title track of his 13th studio album of the same name. Viagra Boys approached Taylor to cover this song in 2020. The finished product is included in the band's second album "Welfare Jazz". It is rougher and more vital than the original version.
When Murphy talked about this collaboration, he said: "When I first heard this song, I had the urge to cover it." He described Taylor's "unique voice" as making her the perfect choice to sing DeMent's part, and called her "the goddess of punk rock and a very important presence in contemporary music." He also said that he hoped to have more collaborations in the future. Taylor said it was Murphy who introduced her to Prine's music: "Seb is a country music fan, and so am I, so it felt very intimate when we recorded this duet." She said that she also became a fan of Prine's music. Prine passed away in April 2020 due to complications from COVID-19 at the age of 73.
Viagra Boys released their fourth studio album "Viagr Aboys" in April this year. NME described the work at the time as "omnivorous art punk dedicated to the doomsday era." The band revealed in an interview with NME backstage at Reading Festival 2026 this weekend that their next album is already in preparation. "We've been in the studio for the past year writing songs, recording demos and riffs," Murphy said. He described the new material as "omnivorous rock music," but admitted, "It's too early to say yet."
On the other hand, Amyl & The Sniffers recently announced the country-style concert film and live album "Truth Or Consequence", which was filmed at the El Coyote restaurant in Los Angeles in April 2025. It includes country adapted versions of the band's songs, two unreleased new songs, and a cover of Slim Dusty's "Lights On The Hill". The live album will be released on September 4. The band's previous third studio album "Cartoon Darkness" will be released in 2024.
