Punk band Pup – from the left, Zack Mykula, Stefan Babcock, Steve Sladkowski and Nestor Chumak – is gearing up for its Mega-City Madness tour of Toronto marking the release of their new album, Who Will Look After the Dogs.Vanessa Heins/Supplied
This July, punk-rock band Pup will play six hometown shows across Toronto. Each concert in the Mega-City Madness tour is at a venue significant to the band’s trajectory. Starting with a secret house party – anyone who wants to know the location is encouraged to “ask a punk” – and culminating with a massive gig at History, the tour is a new approach to concerts for Pup. It’s a way to support the band’s new album, Who Will Look After the Dogs, and celebrate the lucky breaks and fan support that’s brought Pup to this stage of their career.
“Every step of the way has felt like a massive victory for us. We’ve done so much more than we ever expected – and, honestly – probably more than we deserve,” said Pup front man Stefan Babcock. “To spend a week doing shows in Toronto and playing all of these venues that we played coming up over the past 10 years … to be able to relive that all in this scenic way, it’s going to be really, really, special for us.”
After the band played a string of shows opening for legendary pop punks Sum 41 during their farewell tour, many fans expected Pup – which in addition to Babcock includes guitarist Steve Sladkowski, bassist Nestor Chumak and drummer Zack Mykula – to make the jump into an arena act. It’s a step the band may take in the future, an idea supported by the fact that Mega-City Madness sold out in less than an hour. The band moved approximately 6,000 tickets in total. Still, taking a slightly different approach has been a winning formula for Pup.
On top of creating a near perfect blend of punk and indie rock, part of the group’s success has come from putting their own spin on all the things that come with playing in a band. Music videos doubled as interactive video games; contests asked fans to cover a Pup song without hearing it first. The band connected with fans through zines featuring tour stories and sketches. This week a listening party for the new album was themed around the Olive Garden. All of these things speak to the creativity and thought process the group puts into everything they do.
For his part, Babcock is self-deprecating about the artistry of it all. While the singer and guitarist is extremely proud of what he and his bandmates have accomplished, ideas like Mega-City Madness or the critically acclaimed music videos are a means of following their creativity and trying to enjoy every aspect of what they do. At the same time, he’s quick to emphasize the amount of effort the band and their team put into making it all come together.
“We really care about this band. We really care about what we’re doing. There are people doing similar things who are naturally more gifted than all of us. And so, you know, if we want to make something special out of this, we’ve got to just really work hard.”
Pups members have known each other since high school and came up through the Toronto all-ages music scene.Martyna Bannister/Supplied
That ethos – a combination of hard work and following their passions – developed as Pup came up through the Toronto all-ages music scene. The band members have known each other since high school, and they cut their teeth playing dozens of concerts in separate bands. Attending shows was nearly as impactful for the group as playing them. Watching other bands succeed, drawing influence from their peers and actively engaging in the community was pivotal to starting the band and seeing it flourish.
“When I was 12, watching Sum 41 come out of Ajax and seeing them blow up made me realize this is a thing that can happen here. … And then the four of us being a part of this vibrant all-ages community meant we had opportunities to play shows quite frequently and figure out how to make things work.”
Babcock mentions bands like Metz and Single Mothers as helping to define a Toronto scene that Pup has thrived in over the last decade. For Mega-City Madness, Pup is turning to others from their hometown for support, bringing along Bad Waitress to open night two at Sneaky Dee’s and playing with rapper Cadence Weapon during night five at the Danforth Music Hall.
That the band is now in the position of bands they used to look up to – international success and a hugely influential position in Canadian music – is a role that Babcock takes with gratitude and a desire to give back.
Lately, in addition to his role with Pup, the singer and guitarist has been writing songs for other people – a new position that he’s found deeply encouraging. Babcock has contributed to tunes for contemporaries like the OBGMs and has worked in Los Angeles with a number of pop acts, something that wouldn’t have happened without his growth from Toronto.
“It’s been like an incredibly supportive community and city for us. It’s easy to take Toronto for granted, but having toured the world, cities like this are few and far between.”
