Pouzza Fest is an annual event held during Victoria Day weekend each May in downtown Montréal. It features bands playing at a variety of venues, ranging from a large outdoor stage to small nightclubs. This review highlights several artists from the 2025 edition of the festival, each with a photo and choice of favourite song from the setlist performed.
Béton Armé @ Jardin des bières
As the late afternoon thunderstorms finished rolling through the city, local Oi! band Béton Armé took to the festival’s outdoor stage in front of a few hundred freshly soaked audience members. Lead singer Danick only stayed on the stage for a few seconds of each song and made his way down to the pit repeatedly which really got the audience moving, including a crowd surfing session to close things out. The energy ran high, the gang-vocals echoed, and the certified street-tough riffs delivered.
Favourite song from the setlist: “L’union fait la force”
You can see a photo from the performance here: https://i.ibb.co/7xWxN0zR/Pouzza-01-Beton-Arme.jpg
Debt Neglector @ Café Cléopâtre
Montréal is known for its strip clubs. So, why not have a show in a strip club? Located in the upstairs portion of the building, while the seedier activity was in the downstairs portion, I discovered a small stage outfitted with that classic dimmed electric pink lighting, complete with a disco ball overhead, surrounded by chrome-finish armless chairs and the leftover smell of strong perfume combined with a harsh chemical cleaning agent. Perfect!
Making an extremely rare, one-off appearance in this part of the continent, Orlando’s Debt Neglector tore through a well-balanced set spanning most of their three albums. New tracks from the recently released Kinda Rips, like “Adios Amigos!” and “Clear Sight” were big standouts for me. Older tracks like “Atomicland” were also blended in for good measure. Straight-up punk blasts with tight playing all-around.
Considering this was in a room not designed to host live music, the sound was impeccable. Loud, and I mean loud, coming from a small stage and PA system directly in front of your face with so little space that essentially every spot could be considered front row. Yet I had absolutely zero ringing in my ears afterwards. A huge credit goes out to the sound production crew; this was some crazy good live sound.
Favourite song from the setlist: “Adios Amigos!”
You can see a photo from the performance here: https://i.ibb.co/hRZYSxtz/Pouzza-02-Debt-Neglector.jpg
Slaughterhouse @ Café Cléopâtre
Los Angeles-based Slaughterhouse have had a bit of a buzz around them lately. I checked out most of their recorded output before this show, so I was already familiar with the songs, but this was my first live experience. The band delivered an excellent set with a solid stage presence and more of that crazy good sound that was a privilege to hear. The song “Sick and Tired” even prompted a mini-circle pit in the few feet of space available, with bass player Eddie finishing out the song on the other side of the room standing on a table.
Favourite song from the setlist: “DNA”
You can see a photo from the performance here: https://i.ibb.co/dJQ6BYs8/Pouzza-03-Slaughterhouse.jpg
THICK @ Café Cléopâtre
THICK are a band I have been wanting to see live for a few years now but never had the chance to and have to say this was even better than I expected. Hailing from Brooklyn and now rocking as a four-piece, the band packed a sonic punch that left memorable hooks in my brain with their extremely distinct songs like “Happiness”, “Loser” and “Your Mom.” Being in Montréal, the band played made a point of playing their song named after the city to an appreciative audience, as well as dedicating “I Love You Forever” to Pouzza Fest as a whole.
Favourite song from the setlist: “Doomer”
You can see a photo from the performance here: https://i.ibb.co/mgg3pL4/Pouzza-04-THICK.jpg
Dave House @ Jardin des bières
The singer-songwriter contingent had a strong representation in this year’s edition of the festival. I checked out Dave House, once again after another late afternoon thunderstorm, but luckily avoided getting soaked. Performing as a solo artist, House strummed his way through a set filled with many call-and-response moments, with one moment that no one expected. After calling out “If you happen to have a harmonica in the key of G, now is the time…”, within about 10-seconds a section of the crowd parted and a man hoisted his fist into the air clutching a harmonica and then began to wail on it as loud as possible. Genuinely surprised, House invited him to the front to wail some more as the crowd cheered on.
Favourite song from the setlist: “Jane” (The Loved Ones)
You can see a photo from the performance here: https://i.ibb.co/ZbcwKLc/Pouzza-05-Dave-House.jpg
The Raging Nathans @ Foufounes Électriques
The mainstay venue of Foufounes Électriques always features some of the must-see bands. It’s a truly top-notch nightclub with multiple floors and wicked good sound quality. The Raging Nathans delivered a solid set spanning most of their released material, including songs from the newly released Room For One More that only came out 24-hours prior to the show. “The Grudge” was noticeably excellent, as were a few older cuts like “Teenage Amnesia”, “One Day Closer (To Death)”, and “Waste My Heart.” They announced that drummer Patrick left his backpack in an alley somewhere in Toronto and it contained his passport. Hope he made it back to Dayton alright.
Favourite song from the setlist: “Where Ya Been?”
You can see a photo from the performance here: https://i.ibb.co/bjRcf8Dj/Pouzza-06-The-Raging-Nathans.jpg
Brutal Youth @ Foufounes Électriques
“What a fucking mess!” lead singer Patty exclaimed as Brutal Youth played on a stage covered in a spilled batch of glow sticks that he was in the process of tossing out to the crowd in celebration of drummer Dustin’s birthday. A 40-minute time-slot was like a marathon for this Toronto-via-Newfoundland band who barrelled through banger after banger at triple-speed, with an energy that only grew as the set raged on. “Through The Teeth”, “Contrarian”, and “Thick As Thieves” all brought serious heat, with a grand finale of “Rebuilding Year” featuring an extended breakdown circle pit where lead singer Patty jumped down to the floor and encouraged everyone to circle around him before returning to the stage for one last front-flip, complete with a crash landing.
Favourite song from the setlist: “Juice Cleanse”
You can see a photo from the performance here: https://i.ibb.co/0RRkGdHt/Pouzza-07-Brutal-Youth.jpg
You can see a video of that circle pit grand finale here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fRLl1vFuHLU
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