When it comes to places in Toronto for an author to hold a book launch, the last venue you’d probably expect such an event to be held is the Horseshoe Tavern. The Queen Street bar has seen all sorts of action since 1947, but its become more known for hosting riotous rock ‘n’ roll shows than literary conversations. That said, when your non-fiction book is about the birth of Canadian punk in the 1970s and it how it transformed a dull musical landscape, the Horseshoe suddenly seems like a completely appropriate choice. After all, the bar hosted the infamous “Last Pogo” concert in 1978, which included performances from The Scenics, The Viletones, and Teenage Head, and was shut down by the cop following a minor riot before the latter’s set.
This was just one of the milestones discussed by Toronto-based journalist Sam Sutherland at the launch party for his new book Perfect Youth: The Birth Of Canadian Punk (available through ECW Press) on Wednesday night. He was joined onstage by Fucked Up frontman and self-described “record store nerd” Damian Abraham for a discussion that was equally informative and entertaining (“I saw The Strokes play here once, it’s a real punk venue!” joked Abraham at one point).
During their crash course in The History of Canadian Punk 101, both men talked about the bands that shaped their love of the genre and the regional scenes mentioned in the book. While insisting that Toronto’s punk scene formed in the 1970s gradually, rather than as a result of one defining event, Sutherland pointed to The Dishes as catalysts. Their residency at the seedy Beverly Tavern on Queen Street West in February 1976 paved the way for other bands to play downtown, including The Diodes, Johnny and the G-Rays, Martha and the Muffins, and others. “This place was nothing and then it was the centre of a cultural explosion,” said Sutherland. From a laptop the author played a snippet of The Viletones’ “Screaming Fist”, a song that members of seminal ‘80s Washington, D.C. hardcore outfit Bad Brains allegedly listened to shortly before forming the band. Of the band’s wide-ranging influence, Abraham said, “I’ve been to China and I’ve met people there who have heard of The Viletones.”
While Perfect Youth does cover bands mentioned in Liz Worth’s 2010 Treat Me Like Dirt: An Oral History Of Punk In Toronto And Beyond 1977-1981, Sutherland also cast his scope wider to look at pioneering acts of the genre from St. John’s to Victoria. “I wanted to look at bands that might have gotten the wider attention that they deserve”, he explained, adding that “there was no Warped Tour for these bands to find their way”. Two examples of these overlooked bands that Sutherland mentioned were Newfoundland’s Da Slyme, who put out the first Canadian punk double LP and were early champions of “B.Y.O.S.P.” (Bring Your Own Safety Pin) shows, and Saskatchewan’s The Extroverts. A large section of Perfect Youth is dedicated to what the author calls his “desperate love of everything that came out of Vancouver”, including the book’s title, named after a Pointed Sticks song.
So does Sutherland believe that punk is dead? Despite mentioning the closure of Toronto record store Hits and Misses, the author sounded hopeful, citing the work of individuals and labels still releasing compilations and reissues of classic Canadian punk albums. If that wasn’t enough, he pointed out, “I was at a Blue Jays game recently and they played two Teenage Head songs.” After the discussion wrapped up, the crowd was treated to a surprise set from one of the originating groups, Toronto’s ARSON. And no, in case you were wondering, nobody rioted afterwards.
____
Max Mertens is a regular contributor to the Toronto Standard. Follow him on Twitter at@Max_Mertens.
For more, follow us on Twitter @TorontoStandard and subscribe to our newsletter.
