Pup – Manchester O2 Ritz Review – 10th May 2025

After what might have been the busiest month of my life, finishing my degree, I can finally say that I have finished and am done with university. So what better way to celebrate than with a bit of punk? I ventured out to the O2 Ritz to head to a gig for a band that I will admit I had never heard of, Pup.

Pup is a Canadian punk rock band that formed in Ontario in 2010. They are comprised of members Stefan Babcock, Nestor Chumak, Zack Mykula & Steve Sladowski. They are currently on tour for their new album, Who Will Look After the Dogs? , which was released at the start of this month. They are joined on this tour by support acts Goo and Illuminati Hotties.

Goo

The smallest of the three bands on this tour, Goo opened up the night and came out with a lot to prove and to cement themselves at a packed-out Ritz venue. They are described as being an indie-punk band, and that can easily be seen with their cleaner chords as opposed to a faster punk rock sound.

They were an incredibly fun band to open up the night and had an incredibly tight sound and they definitely deserved to get the opportunity to open up the night. The nine-song set was a great way to get the crowd going with some hard-hitting indie-punk, and I am interested to see what we hear next from them as they undoubtedly continue to get better.

Illuminati Hotties

Following on from them was the American indie-punk band Illuminati Hotties. They win the award without any questions for the band with the strangest titles of songs, examples being ‘MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA’ and ‘Joni: LA’s no.1 Health Goth’. Incredible names aside, the band was able to match the quality with one of the best live performances I have seen this year.

Sarah Tudzin commands the stage and the audience as the lead singer and guitarist of the band, commanding the stage with a strong stage presence that felt perfectly at home in a venue the size of the Ritz. The crowd was more than willing to take part.

The songs were catchy, and I found myself joining in as the set went on. A notable moment was the surprise inclusion of Pup frontman Stefan, who joined Sarah on stage to do Wreck My Life, which really got the crowd going and stayed that way for the remainder of the set.

Pup

Closing out the evening was Pup. Opening up with No Hope, the band showed they were true punk-rock, immediately kicking into it with a fast-paced track to get the crowd off their feet. The show was the biggest show on the tour that they were playing, but there was no sign of nerves or even a moment of hesitation, and they delivered an incredibly strong set.

Stefan did not hesitate to jump off whatever he could and run and jump across the stage, and it reminded me how long it’s been since I got to watch a proper punk-rock band. Whilst I may mainly listen to metal, no one brings an energy to a stage like a punk rock band, and Pup are no exception to the rule.

The crowd didn’t hesitate to match the energy of the band, getting the crowd surfing started for the first time in the evening, and this is always the clearest sign that the audience is in support of you.

Fan favourites like Kids and DVP didn’t fail to get the crowd singing back to them in what was a nicely split setlist featuring tracks from most of the band’s discography. They didn’t hesitate to only play a couple of singles of the new album and instead played seven of the twelve tracks, which is great to see,e especially in an era where it feels like album tours are losing a lot of their intentions, with most failing to cover anything outside of the singles.

They brought out members of Illuminati Hotties to do a couple of songs, and whilst it was nice to potentially see Goo join for a song as well, seeing bands continue to show love and support to their support bands will always be something truly amazing to see and will always serve as a reminder to what is important in the music scene. Community.

For three bands that I had not had the pleasure of hearing prior to the evening, I am pleased to say I enjoyed the evening. It was a fun mix of different punk sounds and styles, with each band proving how they sound unique to one another. It truly felt like a night showcasing each of the bands and what they have to offer, and I am incredibly interested in keeping an eye on Goo. I believe the sound they have could prove to make a very good name on the scene in the UK, both in punk and potentially commercially, with a punk rock sound that can appeal to everyone.

If you’re a punk-rock fan and looking to listen to someone you might not have heard of before, I recommend that you try Pup.