Since the “Printemps érable” or “Maple Spring” of 2012, which saw thousands of students studying in Quebec take up arms against the government’s proposal to raise the tuition for higher education, it appears that Montreal has seen a visible increase of activist musicians coming out to play on the island. The Maple Spring was one of the first times where Montreal saw many millennials get politically involved about a cause that they felt strongly about. For people who hadn’t already listened to punk songs about corrupt governments from bands like Crass or The Dead Kennedys, this was kind of like a wake up call that came upon the youth like a dose of cold water, alerting them that things within their government were not okay, and that it’s okay to be angry about it.
Local bands like L’Etat C’est Moi, Bearmace (who are not really activists, but definitely forward thinking), Riot Porn, and countless others are always pushing the boundaries of their performances. It is quite possible that I’ve sustained a few too many head injuries thanks to mosh pits, but every time you leave one of their shows you feel like there’s a strong urge to riot in the streets, bring down the boys in blue, capitalism and possibly the entire government itself, all because of the raw energy they force onto the crowd and the lyrics which connect the members of the audience with each other. “It’s hard to say what fuels the punk scene really. I think it’s a combination of a lot of different factors, mediated by people’s individual circumstances,” says Jawn, the vocalist from L’Etat C’est Moi. “Right here in Montreal there’s a confluence of factors I think: lots of students, lots of young people, biggest city in the region, cheap rent, prime ground for the street economy (squeegeeing etc), very active political scene, lots and lots of music venues, and a history of having a big punk scene.” This tight-knit network of bands, politics and supporters is very lucky because they have the support of many local venues who aren’t afraid to host shows. Venues like Barfly, TRH Bar, (the now defunct) Cafe Chaos, Foufounes Electric and numerous other underground locations, makes it’s easy to become integrated in the growing scene of musicians and like minded individuals. It’s because of these people who aren’t afraid to break down barriers, and the people who come out to support, that Montreal’s punk movement is able to have the best possible environment to thrash and thrive.
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But the punk scene in Montreal remains quite divided, something which I found to be increasingly highlighted after the protests in 2012. Although there is a divide between the “oogle-drunk punks for life” and the more politically driven band of punks, it’s the latter which has the best potential to last in our society. The socially active punks will be the people who will take to the streets in an organised fashion to stand up against the cops and government corruption. “Maybe the high level of sort of background political activity in Montreal helps fuel the punk scene by exposing young people to anti-establishment ideas.” Says Jawn, “Maybe some 12 year olds see a black bloc flipping a cop car and were like… *click* I wanna do that. And then they listened to some Leftover Crack and now they’re jamming in their mom’s basement. Who knows?” For years punk music has been a strong pillar to a “fuck the system” kind of mentality, and although politics don’t always fuel the scene, historically they are strongly intertwined.
Although Montreal is an island it is still the largest city in the area, which creates an easy way to find different and varying perspectives on the underground scene from both the French and English populations and different boroughs around the area. Not only do you get fresh perspectives and ideas constantly flowing from every corner of the island but you get a good amount of songs written in both languages from the local bands. Unfortunately, like every Canadian city, the winter hits us hard. It’s rare to see a protest happening in the middle of winter quite simply because fuck that. It’s cold. It’s because of the weather that movements like Occupy, the Maple Spring and countless other protests and marches get, quite literally, frozen to death and fade from existence.
There are still many things wrong with the punk scene, like the huge issues with underrepresentation of women in the scene, and there is still rampant issues with drug addiction and alcoholism, not to mention the kind of people who will complain all night and day about what’s wrong with the system but never lift a finger to do anything about it. But this is our punk scene, and it has been created by the people on the island of Montreal. It doesn’t matter where you come from, everyone can appreciate the music because without the punk scene and underground culture here in Montreal there would be no place for those of us who do not fit in with societies proposed values and lifestyles.
