Toronto’s annual punk festival Not Dead Yet is reputed to knock you out or knock you on your ass in the best way. The fest that ran this past weekend has a no-bullshit, anti-bigotry, anti-racism, anti-homophobic, and anti-transphobic policy. Now in its sixth year, Not Dead Yet nurtures an inclusive environment where bands from all over the world collide. With 14 shows and nearly 70 bands this year, the goal of the fest is to unify the best of the best in the sprawling world of punk, which is made much smaller when curated over four days in Toronto. It’s a chance to witness the fast fury created by punks from Glasgow to Mexico City. This year featured the launch of a 2017 calendar of women in Toronto punk, as well as one of the last performances by buzzy Northwestern band G.L.O.S.S. Other bands at the fest included Toronto stalwarts Triage and Prom Nite, with guests like Warthog, Exit Order, Barcelona, Anasazi, and more.
People gravitate toward this particular festival because they have a shared deep love for punk and want to satisfy their hunger for a shock to the system that makes everything else seem dull as hell. Below is a photo essay capturing the delicious chaos that Not Dead Yet delivers:
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Alex Kress is a photographer and writer in Toronto.
