PUP GiG Review
- Taylorlani Housman
- Aug 25
- 2 min read
Photography: @demonrace
Toronto punk rock band PUP tore through Sydney’s Metro Theatre on August 9th, delivering a chaotic, sweaty, and unforgettable night of impressive moments, circle pits, and euphoria. With support from Adelaide’s Teenage Joans, the evening was full of humour, and community.
Kicking off the night were Teenage Joans, who brought their signature mix of raw indie-punk energy to the stage. The duo have been on a steady rise in Australia’s scene, and their set proved why: infectious chemistry, and an unapologetic presence that instantly got the crowd excited and energised.
The moment PUP launched into opener No Hope, the crowd exploded. From there, the setlist was relentless, songs like Free at Last, Morbid Stuff, and Scorpion Hill had the entire theatre screaming back every word. The band’s trademark mix of nihilistic humour and rawness carried through the night.
Notably, Sydney’s crowd wasted no time in making the night a little weirder. Midway into the set, someone in the pit lost their stomach, a full-blown vomit incident mid-mosh. Rather than kill the mood, it became a running joke, with the band tossing out towels to us and laughing it off with the audience. That was before the smell set in.
Frontman Stefan Babcock worked the crowd
with his usual self-deprecating wit, poking fun at the absurdity of two separate mosh pits breaking out on opposite sides of the floor. "Let’s combine these!" he shouted, and sure enough, chaos reigned as the pits merged into one massive swirl of sweat and bodies.
Beyond the destruction, there were flashes of the unique bond between band and fans. At one point, a girl dropped her phone, only for the band to pick it up and snap a selfie, and send it back into the crowd, such a blend of silliness and sincerity.
From Sleep in the Heat’s to the adrenaline shot of DVP, the set balanced nostalgia with their latest Record ‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?', which was released earlier this year. By the end, the Metro Theatre was drenched in sweat, shirts were clinging, and an overwhelming sense of delight.
Final Thoughts
PUP’s Sydney stop on their Australian tour was everything fans could have hoped for: loud, messy, hilarious, and strangely uplifting. Whether it was the twin circle pits, the accidental vomit saga, or the band’s constant interaction with their audience, it was a show that captured exactly why PUP are so much more than just a band.
PUP's Setlist:
No Hope
My Life Is Over and I Couldn't Be Happier
Free at Last
Robot Writes a Love Song
Dark Days
Concrete
Sleep in the Heat
Paranoid
Totally Fine
Morbid Stuff
Kids
Falling Outta Love
Scorpion Hill
Hallways
If This Tour Doesn't Kill You, I Will
DVP
Hunger for Death
Bloody Mary, Kate and Ashley
Familiar Patterns
Reservoir
Full Blown Meltdown
Hunger for Death
