This Friday, June 13th, MilkBoy will be playing host to the best double-headlining jaunt of the summer, The Go For Broke Tour, featuring Canadian punk rockers NOBRO and Bad Waitress (with our local buddies Puppy Angst opening the show for good measure!) Montreal’s NOBRO are touring behind sophomore LP Set Your Pussy Free, which dropped in October of 2023 and recently won a JUNO. The album blends the brashness and crassness of punk with the anthemic-ness of the best kinds of rock of the Lollapalooza era. Toronto’s Bad Waitress have dropped a handful of singles since their 2021 debut LP, No Taste, most recently “Plan B,” which melds proto-punk with the avant-garde side of the genre in a way that would’ve been perfectly fit for 120 Minutes. I recently got a chance to chat with NOBRO about all of this and more.
Izzy: Set Your Pussy Free just won Rock Album Of The Year at the JUNOS, so I’m curious to hear about that whole experience and what it meant to you?
NOBRO: It means the world to us. Getting recognized for our hard work is unbelievable. We were up against some pretty stiff competition, so we didn’t think it was possible, but now we know we belong with the big dawgs and it feels awesome!
Izzy: This is definitely a tangent, but considering the amazing title of the LP, I’m curious if you have any sort of personal ranking of the greatest vaginally named bands? I think The Slits are indisputably #1 (Although you’re welcome to argue!), but then you’ve got a number of other amazing acts, like Hole, Pussy Riot, Tacocat, our very own Mannequin Pussy, Perfect Pussy, Thunderpussy…
NOBRO: I mean we love Mannequin Pussy as a band and love the name, as well! So, I think them!
Izzy: I really dig the whole album, but “A.I. Sexbots” is my favorite track. How did that particular song come about?
NOBRO: Drum loop and three chords! It seemed so simple and stupid at first and way too obvious, but it all kind of came out. We are also a super progressive band, and we wanted to have an anthem, and we just happened to write one!
Izzy: You’re on Dine Alone Records, which is such an amazing label. How is it working with them and being a part of that group?
NOBRO: It’s been a great experience overall! They really support our band, and they go to bat for us at every turn. It was such a big accomplishment to be a signed band on Dine Alone.
Izzy: It’s actually been a little while since you’ve released any new music, so I’m curious if anything’s in the works, possibly that live audiences might get a chance to hear??? If so, how might you characterize the direction of your latest sounds?
NOBRO: We have a whole new album on the way! We have been performing a couple of our new tunes live and welcoming in whatever feels good to happen. We definitely are going in more of a heavier direction. Very exciting!
Izzy: You’re currently on The Go For Broke Tour with Bad Waitress. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on your tourmates and even how you originally connected.
NOBRO: Bad Waitress are from Toronto and we are from Montreal, so we’ve been neighbors forever and I think we have played one show together in the past, but never really had the opportunity to connect like this. It’s been a fun ride so far and they are really sweet, and it’s been a blast watching them perform and getting to know them as people.
Izzy: Is there anything you especially love about being on the road, in addition to just playing the shows themselves? What are some of your favorite things to do while out and touring?
NOBRO: Eating food!!!! We have been cooking most of our meals, so it has been really special to sit down every night and share food with the band. We really like to take a minute and enjoy each other’s company and decompress over dinner
Izzy: What can be expected when the tour hits MilkBoy, both in terms of the night in general and your performance, in particular? I’m so bummed that I’m yet to see you, but I will definitely be there!
NOBRO: Lots of shredding! Crowd surfing! Cursing! The middle finger! Badass women!
Izzy: How do you like playing barrooms, like MilkBoy? They’re definitely my favorite kinds of spaces, but a lot of punk (and “indie”) bands I know kinda like to try to do the DIY thing exclusively.
NOBRO: We love it! We love playing intimate places and feeling so close to the crowd. It’s pretty cool to see people’s faces when we play. Always a lot of smiles!
Izzy: This is a personal question, but are you familiar with Betty Blowtorch? They were a sadly short-lived band from the late ‘90s/early aughts who I got to know when I was 16. They did kind of a snarky and humorous amalgam of the most anthemic punk and sleaziest rock in a way that feels sort of similar to NOBRO. You should check out their full-length, Are You Man Enough? There’s an amazing feature-length doc about them, Betty Blowtorch and Her Amazing True Life Adventures, which is apparently free on YouTube.
NOBRO: Haven’t heard but now am intrigued. Thanks for the recommendation!!!
Izzy: What’s next for you, after these dates wrap? How are you hoping and planning to spend the summer, whether relating to work or just having summertime fun?
NOBRO: We have a few more shows lined up this summer, including one in NYC July 12 for Marker Park Radio! After that, new music and the sky’s the limit!
*Get your tickets here.
