03/03/2026
There are no words. Only pure emotions.
Pupstock was unbelievable. Truly and undoubtedly the best shows we’ve had the pleasure, the privilege, and the honor of playing. To have a celebration this big, and for so many people to have come out to support, not just us in our final moments, a band figuratively being euthanized, but to support the greater local music scene. From Appleton to La Crosse, from Madison to Oshkosh, from our home in Wausau, to our safe haven, and the coolest scene on the planet, Stevens Point. Without you, there is no Young Pups. That is a fact.
We have so many thank yous, it is almost laughable. So, we’re just going to start.
First and foremost, thank you to everyone who has ever supported us. Whether it be at our very first show in March of 2022, or our last show this past weekend, buying merch, or streaming our music, jumping off of stages, or unexpectedly walking in on a show and sticking around in the back, your support has meant everything. To every band that has ever played with us, and every venue that has ever put up with us, you have given us a sense of belonging in a world that is actively burning. To all of the photographers and videographers that went out of their way to capture our bands silly shenanigans for eternity, we still cherish all of those moments and will carry them with us forever.
There is never a time where we took it for granted.
Thank you to everyone who was a part of this past weekend. Every band that played is beyond worthy of your time. Take a second and go follow Johnny Dissent, The Chad O'Kennedy, Incoherent Screaming, Dear Persephone, NUUU METAL, Fun In Theory, Damaged Animal, Zipper, KARMA Bloody KARMA, Catastrophic Heros (added to the bill FIVE DAYS before the show, and donned in full funeral attire), Fangerlis, Screaming Spaceship (Joshua Joyce came from ARIZONA to play this past weekend!), Elk Startled By Thunder, Hemlock Chaser, Smoke Free Home, Crucial Moves , NECK WRUNG, and RIG TIME! (Shoutout to Chad, Tyler, Damian, Bryan, and Rebecca for playing the first and last Young Pups shows)
Thank you to all of the photographers/videographers that captured every moment that happened. Y’all were working ridiculously hard, dodging crowd surfers and spin kicks to get every good angle. Keep an eye open for pics from Violet, , and Derek, and videos from Seth at Wisco Underground.
(IF YOU TOOK PICTURES OF ANY BANDS AT PUPSTOCK, PLEASE GET DM US! Not only would we love to see everything you got, but we’d like to properly thank you, if we can!)
An absolutely MASSIVE thank you to Coral Lanes Bowling Center. First, for letting us put on such an absurd event. Not only did they let us put on a two day, all day, all ages rager with 19 bands for a bunch of rowdy kids, but they have been an all ages haven for rock shows since we were just starting in the scene. Young Pups played our first show at Coral. Bill and the crew at Coral have been putting up with us since before Pageless Story was able to stand on our own two (ten?) feet. Even before that, Coral Lanes has hosted an onslaught of amazing music for years. The point being, this place is special. It will continue to be special. ALL AGES SHOWS ARE SPECIAL. And if we’re being honest, the next show at Coral Lanes might already be in the works…
Speaking of Pageless Story…
Thank you to the other 3/5ths of Pageless Story for doing a surprise set on Saturday. Young Pups was birthed from the remnants of Pageless Story. All of us have been friends since high school and have remained so to this day. To have had the opportunity to play those songs one more time was incredible. Pageless Story never got a final show. The last show played was March of 2020 and… well… you can probably guess why there wasn’t the chance. To finally have closure after six years is cathartic. Thank you all for giving that to us. Much love to Christian, Brendan, and Page. ❤️
Big thank you to Ian, Will, and Chad for helping with the door. Y’all came in clutch for us. Thank you to Orlando and Bryan for helping with sound, y’all are magic. Thank you to Joyce, Chad, Tristan, Robert, Dan, Trayc, “D.$$$” David, and Bryan for coming up on stage and being special guests throughout our sets. Y’all made the night even more special than it already was.
Thank you to our very own Cooper for running sound and Josh for running monitors both days. They ensured everyone sounded as big, as impactful, and as larger than life as possible. Thank you to Sami for organizing everything. From booking to day schedules, from changeovers to loading, from physical/online promotion to ticketing. An especially big thank you to everyone who checked in, making sure Sami had his head on straight (lol).
And of course, thank you to every single one of you for coming out and sharing our final moments with us. You made the end a little less sad, the sting a little more bearable, and the moment all the more special. We. Love. You. 🥹❤️
If you made it this far, thank you. We said it at the show, but we’ll say it again. If you take anything away from Young Pups, it’s do what you love and never stop doing it. The meaning I take away from our band name, is “young” is a mindset. Yes, it can be literal, but never make “being too old” an excuse. You can actually just do whatever you want. No one can stop you. It doesn’t matter what anyone says. Buy art supplies. Start zines. Go to college (if you want to). Learn as much as you can. Be unapologetic. QUESTION EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE. Pick up a camera, any camera. Pick up an instrument, any instrument. You don’t even have to start a band. But… If you do start a band, no matter what the genre or style or vibe, punk, metal, rap, emo, shoegaze, electronic, indie, hyperpop, one man band, 20 person orchestra, etc, etc, etc…
Be better, sonically louder, and more uncompromising than Young Pups.
Young Pups’ time has come and passed. And even though we are done, we are somehow finding ways to persist. Yup, there is still more coming. The hype from Pupstock has been unreal, and we’re making some plans to do something special. Keep your eyes peeled for that. We will be continuing to post pictures from all the insanely talented photographers that were at the show. IF YOU, YES YOU, HAVE ANY PICTURES FROM THIS PAST WEEKEND, WE WANT TO SEE THEM!!! GIVE US EVERYTHING YOU GOT. PLEASE. It doesn’t matter if it’s us, any of the amazing bands that played, or just anything random from the past weekend. PLEASE send it to us!
Until next time, it’s always been, and will always be until otherwise, FREE PA|_ESTlNE, THE CONGO, SUDAN, F**K lC€, PROTECT TR@NS RIGHTS, AND BE NICE TO ONE ANOTHER GOD DAMNIT. The world is fu**ed up enough as it is. Be a positive force in someone’s life.
With all the love in our hearts, thank you.
-Sami, Cooper, Josh
YXVNGPVPS4EVA
YOUNG PUPS. YOUNG PUPS.
YOUNG PUPS. YOUNG PUPS.
YOUNG PUPS. YOUNG PUPS.
YOUNG PUPS. YOUNG PUPS.
📸: Violet Galindo
