The Last Pogo

Patrick Lee
1978-01-12

0
25 min

Grab some safety pins, practice your sneer and get ready to revisit Toronto's thriving punk scene. THE LAST POGO documents the raucous 1978 punk concert held in Toronto's legendary Horseshoe Tavern-a night of unhinged music and unbridled mayhem. On December 1, 1978, legendary Toronto concert promoters Gary Topp and Gary Cormier-better known as The Garys-presented The Last Pogo, a rollicking, riotous concert at the venerable Horseshoe Tavern. On the bill were seminal bands from Toronto's punk rock scene: The Scenics, The Cardboard Brains, The Secrets, The Mods, The Ugly, The Viletones and Teenage Head. During the concert, the frenetic energy of 800+ thrashing fans in the club boiled over and a near-riot ensued. Filmmaker Colin Brunton was there with a camera crew to capture it all, from the irreverent punk musicians and the slam-dancing audience to the police who tried to stop the show and the firefighters called in to escort people from the premises.