Punk scenes are notorious for their chaos—violent mosh pits, aggressive sounds and the risks posed to women within them. So, when veteran punk Joe Wiwcharuk organized a fundraiser for Calgary’s FearIsNotLove, there was one venue he trusted above all others to keep people safe—The BLOX Arts Centre (BAC).
“I’ll go to shows; girls are in the [mosh] pit, and you’ve got these big guys,” he said. “They’re not even dressed punk—they just go for women.”
Wiwcharuk has always wanted to contribute to his community, starting with putting in time at local soup kitchens. But through music, he said, he is able to motivate others to action. The abuse he’s witnessed at punk shows pushed him to finally organize his own; to fundraise and spread awareness for intimate partner violence against women.
On Saturday evening, Wiwcharuk arrived at the BAC in downtown Calgary with ‘kill all fascists’ and ‘kill all rapists’ scrawled in black sharpie, flanking either side of his tall mohawk.
The punk aesthetic flourished at the event, with many of the women present—adults and minors—dressed in spiked bras, short skirts, fishnets and more—but the atmosphere was calm, communal. That, Wiwcharuk said, is what makes the BLOX special: the sense of community and safety it consistently provokes.
As The Petty Larceneers—a five-piece punk ska band—opened the show at 7:00 p.m., lead singer Ella Stewart gave an emotional speech between songs to the small crowd, referencing her own experiences with abuse.
Attendees and band members said the personal moment brought tears to their eyes, and drummer Rebecca Kinsley spoke up when it became clear her bandmate’s emotions had overcome her; giving Stewart a moment to collect herself before the performance carried on.
“It’s especially hard being vulnerable in front of people who don’t know,” said Stewart later that night. “Especially because my family was here. In the modern culture, where vulnerability isn’t so commonplace, it feels so intense to open yourself up—especially when you’ve been so hurt before.”
What started as a short discussion from one member of the community to the others about a greater issue turned emotional for Stewart as the situation triggered memories and traumas from her past.
“I didn’t expect to get as emotional as I did,” she said. “But it kind of creeps up, especially when you have PTSD issues and you can get caught back in those moments and those flashbacks.”
After the set, “I put my socks on and went straight outside to take a minute by the tree.”
Stewart experienced nothing but support from her birth and chosen family after the tough moment.
At the opening of her speech, she cited a 2021 Statistics Canada study that found that more than 40 per cent of women have experienced intimate partner violence, and that number resonated with all present throughout the night—a reminder of what the night meant.
Due to her overwhelming emotions, Stewart was unable to finish her speech on stage but gave her closing remarks later.
“If you are in a situation where you’re feeling like its abusive or if you’ve been there, you’re not alone and you deserve better—you deserve love.”
Stewart’s vulnerability early in the show proved to everyone at the event that the BLOX isn’t just about music—it’s about caring for each other.
Like Stewart, many of those present on Saturday frequently attend events at the venue, like the weekly Rockin’ 4 Dollar$, which has helped build a strong, multi-generational community, inclusive to even minors.
“I think it’s one of the most welcoming crowds, and I think it’s especially incredible as an all-ages venue,” said Stewart. “We get to be the leading hand in bringing kids into this community and showing the incredible support that this community has given me personally.”
There were several children amongst the crowd, but some young adults even made it on stage. Eighteen-year-old Sarah Hartenberger, lead singer and part time bassist for 8FIM, a band of students who had their very first show at the event.
“I thought it would be a lot worse,” she said after their set. “Some of the songs, we just got them down yesterday [Friday].”
The young singer showed off her ability with a few powerful and piercing screams throughout the set, though she is still learning proper technique to save her singing voice.
“I like the emotion that it brings into a song.”
Hartenberger sees music not just as an outlet though—it’s about building a space for women within Calgary’s punk scene and the wider music community.
“We’d like to have a bunch of shows with entirely woman bands to really bring women’s voices to the forefront,” she said.
Referencing the same statistic as Stewart, Hartenberger said that the current troubled state of the world makes finding community in places like BLOX all the more important, especially for women
“That’s a horrifying number, especially with the current political climate,” she said, “I feel like things are shifting a bit further. On the internet, the way that people are talking about women now is horrific. If people are talking like that on the internet, it probably carries into how they treat women in real life.”
By the time the second-to-last of six bands was playing—around 10 p.m.—BLOX staff members said the roughly 60 people present raised nearly $1000—attendees were encouraged to “pay what you can” at the door. The event accomplished exactly what Wiwcharuk intended, not only raising money for a cause close to his heart, but adding new members to the community, and strengthening the bonds of those already there.
As he moves past this event, Wiwcharuk plans to keep pushing to make punk a safe space for women, beyond just this one venue—including pressuring men to act when they see abuse towards women.
“If a guy is pushing a girl in a mosh pit, take them out and say, ‘that’s not cool,’” he said. “I can’t just speak to people that believe what I believe, it has to go beyond that to do anything.”
