Bad Copy

Before Pouzza 2025, I had never attended or covered a festival by myself. It’s something I was both nervous and excited to take on, and when I loaded up my car after work on Tuesday night to make the 10 hour trek from Detroit to Montreal, I didn’t have a doubt that I was going to find some good times and great music once I got there. I took some extra time off of work to spend exploring the city before the festival started and my only regret is not being there longer.

For almost three days straight I staggered into as many establishments I could find and every single one of them was filled with some of the most friendly, hospitable people I’ve encountered anywhere I’ve been. From drinking with off the clock bartenders to exploring environmental museums with brand new friends, I felt like a part of the city from the moment I dropped my bag at the hostel. I arrived in Montreal fully expecting to have a week filled with raucous solitude, but when I left I could only recall times filled with heartfelt singalongs, watching the sun rise from the wrong end of the evening with wild company, and some serious contenders for lifelong friends in a place I’ll most definitely be visiting again.   

Day 1

My first stop of day one was the cabaret stage at Foufounes Electriques, or “Cabaret Fouf.” Just a few steps away from the main stage of the venue, this room had plenty of open space and caged windows to let in just enough light to cast a healthy glow on all of the bands playing before dark. The first act that I caught was local power rock trio Princesses. They had a healthy following out and their gritty melody was a great way to start the night. From there I caught a bit of Doghouse Rose before jetting off to the Main Stage.

I didn’t know a lot about Vulgaires Machins before their set but I can tell you it definitely seemed like half of the city does. These French Canadian favorites have been churning out songs since 1995, and it was amazing to see fans ranging from children to grandparents yelling along to their entire set. But wait, I can’t stand around and appreciate the beauty of this multi-generational moment for long. Once I realized it’s time to go I literally sprinted 10 blocks to Turbo Haus to catch some of my best friends from Michigan in The Boy Detective tear up the neon lit stage in this local favorite watering hole. This group is always electric and they never leave any energy behind. From half of the band being in the crowd, to shoulder rides, to massive crowd piles you know you’re in for a ridiculously fun sweaty time when you catch them live. Once the energy was high I decided to stick to this venue for nearly the rest of the evening and caught some really great sets from Danny Laj & The Looks, and The Filthy Radicals. 

Now, you’ll see just one photo from my time at Drug Church in Club Soda. This is because I was having a ridiculously fun time. I’d apologize if I were sorry about it. 

Day 2

After spending the rest of the evening with new found friends sharing stories and listening to the birds greet the sun I knew it was time to get some rest. I slept for a few hours and then peeled myself from slumber to find some of those bagels that Montreal is famous for. After the doctor recommended treatment of three bagels and two black coffees, I was ready for another day of loud music, adventure, and comically short cigarettes. 

The first thing I caught that morning was Lutte Wrestling. Despite the rain that kicked off the morning (and stayed the rest of the weekend), these performers never missed a beat and didn’t cut any aspect of their sport short. From high flying cowboys, to trash talk, and grown men slapping the absolute shit out of each other it was a really fun way to inject some energy into a morning that could have easily been a slow start. 

The main stage was thankfully right next to the ring and as soon as I was done with wrestling I walked across the square to catch my first act of the day, The Divetones. With a packed horn section, and upstroke-centric sound this ska band had me feeling like the sun was out and shining despite the precipitation we experienced for the rest of the day. 

Next up was a walk downtown to Theatre Sainte-Catherine to catch some of my old time Michigan buds, Bike Tuff. I was there early enough to catch local punk band La faute des autres, and I tell you what if I spoke French I’d have been singing right along. This was a really cozy venue that I regret not catching more bands in over the weekend. But hey, there’s always next year. After grabbing a quick bite, I met up with my new French Canadian friends at what I learned was ultimately their local haunt, Turbohaus. There were some great bands playing there this weekend so I wasn’t too heartbroken about spending a little extra time there. Early in the evening, I had the chance to catch both Fat Heaven, and Burly Wood. The scene was set for a great rest of the night with their high energy sets that pair pretty well with a couple gin and sodas. 

Now that the evening was really ramping up, it was time to hit the main stage for everyone’s favorite singalongs. Between Tim Barry and Frank Turner, it felt like half of the city had their arms around each other’s shoulders belting out the same tune. As I stood watching with my new friends I noticed that our group kept getting larger in numbers and learned that a lot of the folks joining in were old friends from across different parts of Canada. It was an incredibly warm experience to witness and even more touching when I felt brought in by these folks that have known each other for years. I pretty much spent the whole weekend with these punks and I’m grateful to have met what I’ll refer to as “Squad Canada.”

Once Frank wrapped up, we descended into the city as a raucous unit to go see what ended up being my favorite set of the weekend, local Montreal based all female punk act NOBRO. This was one of those sets that start off at 100% and somehow cranks it up from there until you have people hanging from the balconies and dumping water on each other just to cool down from how hard this band shreds. I’ve always wanted to catch this band and in no way did they disappoint. 

Anyway, another amazing night and another sunrise witnessed. Time to rest my body and do it all again tomorrow. 

Day 3

Another soggy day. Another plate of Poutine. Another beer to wash it all down. Now we’re ready for our third and final day of this incredible, soggy festival!

Today’s entertainment started with another local act, Dumai Dunai. I’m not sure exactly what I expected out of a self described Slavic Dub-Punk band but within minutes I was dancing in the mud with folks who were there to support their friends and swing each other around. We broke a little early for lunch today because well, it’s the third day and the body can only take so much. 

After drinking a couple caesars and scarfing some chicken wings I was ready for the next band. I took the suggestion of my new colleagues and we wandered over to see watch Declan EC. One person I was with said that while they were looking for new bands to see this weekend, they came across some tracks from this band and really liked the sound and immediately added them to the list. When we walked in we were all a bit taken aback to see that this act was made up of local teens pouring it all out onto the stage. Catching their set mid-day gave me the boost of youth I needed to ignore my back pain and push on for the rest of day 3. 

Making our way back through sheets of rain to the mainstage we got there just in time to catch a band on the opposite end of the chronological spectrum of punk music, Subhumans. These blokes have been cranking out sets since 1980 and I can assure you they’re still loud, they’re still fast, they’re still angry, and they still fucking rule. The circle pits from Subhumans loosed up the crow and the mud, and set the stage perfectly for the next act, Fucked Up. This was another can’t miss band for me this weekend. I’ve seen them a handful of times and I knew that especially with the rain and mud we were in for a special whirlwind treat of a live set. If you don’t believe me just check out some of the mud bath pics below. 

After the main stage wrapped there was only one place left to see a show. We all packed up and found ourselves again at Foufounes Electriques, or as we called it “fouf,” for our last two bands of the night Iron Chic, and Samiam. Now, Iron Chic is a band that I typically listen to on full volume in my car while screaming along and maybe sometimes crying a little (don’t judge me, you do it too). And as soon as they started playing I found myself in familiar patterns. These two bands are so poetic and melodic that it’s hard to not find yourself screaming along with hundreds of people. Spending the last night of this festival in a room full of folks that speak a different language but know all the same words can make you feel really big and really small at the same time. To be honest with you, I don’t have many pictures of these sets because I was deep in the moment appreciating all that was around me. 

Here it is, time to go back to Turbohaus with Squad Canada and say our goodbyes. We laughed and we cried, we drank more gin than I think you’re supposed to. We had some really loud singalongs that I’m sure weren’t annoying to all of the other people in the building. We exchanged information and promised to keep in touch. Until next time Montreal, ADIEU!