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The first punk rock bands in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
emerged during the late 1970s, in the wake of the US bands
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...
,
The New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commerc ...
, and Blondie, and the UK band
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
.
The Viletones The Viletones were a Canadian punk band from Toronto led by Steven Leckie on vocals. Other members from the original line-up were Freddie Pompeii, (some sources list him as 'Frederick DiPasquale') on guitar; Chris Hate (Chris Paputts), on bass g ...
, the Diodes and the Demics were among the pioneers, together with the Skulls (featuring Joey who formed DOA and Wimpy (Brian Roy) who led the Subhumans) from
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, and
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
's Teenage Head, whose records and live shows earned them the nickname "Canada's Ramones". Vibrant local punk scenes sprung up in Toronto and Vancouver and other Canadian cities.


History

Early Toronto punk bands included
the Viletones The Viletones were a Canadian punk band from Toronto led by Steven Leckie on vocals. Other members from the original line-up were Freddie Pompeii, (some sources list him as 'Frederick DiPasquale') on guitar; Chris Hate (Chris Paputts), on bass g ...
, the Diodes, the Poles, the Ugly, Cardboard Brains, the Dents, the Mods, the Secrets, ARSON and the Scenics, and these were followed by the Demics, Crash Kills Five, Stark Naked and the Fleshtones and L'Étranger, plus Hamilton's Forgotten Rebels and Teenage Head. In Vancouver D.O.A. and the Subhumans led a 1978-79-80 scene that included Pointed Sticks, Braineaters,
Young Canadians Young Canadians (originally The K-Tels) were a Canadian punk rock band formed in Vancouver in 1978 and active for just under two years. The YC's were influenced not only by the other punk bands in town at that time such as D.O.A. and the Pointed ...
, and the Modernettes. A few years later and many bands across Canada were carrying the punk torch, including Young Lions, Youth Youth Youth, Bunchofuckingoofs,
SNFU SNFU was a Canadian hardcore punk band from Edmonton, formed in 1981 as Society's No Fucking Use. They relocated to Vancouver in 1992 and went on hiatus in 2018 due to illness. They released eight albums, two live records, and one compilation ami ...
, Dayglo Abortions,
the Nils The Nils are a Montreal punk rock band formed in 1978 by Alex Soria. The Nils first gained local notoriety upon the 1982 release of a five-song demo entitled ''Now''. Their self-titled debut album was released to critical acclaim in 1987, and e ...
, Direct Action, APB,
Nomeansno Nomeansno (sometimes stylized as NoMeansNo or spelled No Means No) was a Canadian punk rock band formed in Victoria, British Columbia, and later relocated to Vancouver. They released 11 albums, including a The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy, ...
and Chronic Submission. Two of the biggest early punk shows in Toronto were ''
The Last Pogo ''The Last Pogo'' is a short film made by Colin Brunton in 1978. Shot in Toronto, at the Horseshoe Tavern, ''The Last Pogo'' concert on December 1 was billed as "the last punk rock concert" in Toronto—at least for that original wave of punkers ...
'' at the Horseshoe tavern in 1978, featuring Teenage Head, the Viletones,
the Scenics The Scenics are a band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, active from 1976 to 1982, and from 2008 to the present. History 1976-1982 The Scenics were among the first Toronto punk bands, started when Ken Badger answered Andy Meyers music store ad i ...
, the Cardboard Brains, the Secrets, the Mods, and the Ugly, and the ''Rock Against Radiation'' concert July 19, 1980, at
Nathan Phillips Square Nathan Phillips Square is an city square, urban plaza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or ''New City Hall'', at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and is named after Nathan Phillips ( ...
, featuring DOA, Stark Naked and the Fleshtones, the Viletones, the Forgotten Rebels, plus Joe College (promoter of the show) and the Rulers. Canadian hardcore punk also originated in the early 1980s. D.O.A. are known as the first Canadian hardcore band, and with the release of their album ''
Hardcore '81 ''Hardcore '81'' is an album by the Canadian hardcore punk band D.O.A. It is considered by some to be the first time that a certain style of punk rock was labeled ''hardcore''. In 2019, the album was named as the public vote winner of the Pola ...
'' they set the standards for the style of music. That album title is considered to be the origin of the term ''hardcore punk''. The punk tradition has carried on in Canada right up to modern bands like
Fucked Up Fucked Up is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2001. The band consists of guitarists Mike Haliechuk and Josh Zucker, bassist Sandy Miranda, lead vocalist Damian Abraham and drummer Jonah Falco. From 2007 to 2021, t ...
, The Salads,
Alexisonfire Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike. "", Canadian Online Explorer, CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are Georg ...
, PUP,
Cancer Bats Cancer Bats are a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario. To date, they have released seven studio albums and six extended plays; with their most recent LP, ''Psychic Jailbreak'', having been released on 15 April 2022. The band is cu ...
.


Notable record labels

* Cargo Records *
Deranged Records Deranged Records is a Canadian punk record label based in Roberts Creek, British Columbia. It was founded in 1999 by Gordon Dufresne. Notable bands who have had releases with the label are Fucked Up, Career Suicide and Brutal Knights. The label ...
* Fringe Product *
G7 Welcoming Committee Records G7 Welcoming Committee Records was a Canadian independent record label based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The label mostly released material by artists and speakers with a radical left-wing point of view. History G7 Welcoming Committee Records was f ...
* The Great American Steak Religion *
Insurgence Records Insurgence Records is a Canadian-based independent record label founded in 2000. The street music label specializes in rock music subgenres associated with the skinhead subculture, including Oi!, street punk and hardcore. Insurgence Records r ...
* Mayday Records *
Mint Records Mint Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based independent record label founded in 1991, by friends and campus radio enthusiasts Randy Iwata and Bill Baker. Mint has put out over 150 releases, several of which have won Juno Awards. His ...
* Og Records * Psyche Industry Records * Raw Energy Records *Smallman Records *
Stomp Records Union Label Group is a record label based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was formed through the merger of the smaller labels Stomp Records, 2112 Records, and Tyrant Records. Mayday! Records was later created as a genre imprint. Stomp Records wa ...
* Sonic Unyon *
Sudden Death Records Sudden Death Records is a Vancouver, British Columbia based record label run by Joe "Shithead" Keithley, frontman of D.O.A. Sudden Death Records arrived in Canada's burgeoning punk scene in 1978. Keithley formed the label to release his D.O.A. ...
* Quintessence Records * Union Label Group https://www.discogs.com/label/950909-Star-Records-55?srsltid=AfmBOooOB27rMil_1jEpZby7CitM7PsKWJXO03jFFFyIa15f3CFm8J8r&page=1 Star Records Oshawa


Notable events

The Rock Against Radiation concert on July 19, 1980, at
Nathan Phillips Square Nathan Phillips Square is an city square, urban plaza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or ''New City Hall'', at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and is named after Nathan Phillips ( ...
in Toronto was considered a seminal event in the Canadian punk scene, as it brought together bands from the Toronto and the Vancouver punk scenes on the same stage for the first time. Featured bands included DOA, Stark Naked and the Fleshtones, the Demics, the Viletones, Joe College and the Rulers, plus the Forgotten Rebels (from Hamilton).


See also

*
Music of Canada The music of Canada reflects the diverse influences that have History of Canada, shaped the country. Indigenous Peoples, the Irish-Canadians, Irish, British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical Culture of Canada, herit ...
* Canadian hardcore punk


References


External links


Stark Naked and The FleshtonesCanuckistan Music
(Reviews of 1970s and 1980s punk records in Canada)
Records of Vancouver Punk Rock Collection are held by Simon Fraser University's Special Collections and Rare Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Hardcore Punk 20th-century music genres