PUP
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ARTIST PROFILE | PUP
Over the past decade, PUP have thrived on volatility. It's not really a joke when the Toronto punks release songs like “If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will” or put out albums called The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND. Though its four members are all best friends, creative dysfunction and interpersonal friction make their snarling and self-deprecating songs thrilling. To their shock and occasional dismay, it’s why their four albums are critically acclaimed and the crowds at their galvanizing live shows have only grown. It hasn’t gone off the rails yet but it definitely could. The possibility it could all blow up at any second is the band’s magic.
Who Will Look After The Dogs?, PUP’s pummeling and cathartic fifth LP, is their most immediate, no-frills, and hard-hitting full-length yet. Out May 5 via Little Dipper / Rise Records, it’s the culmination of their past decade of constant touring and their palpable, livewire chemistry. While it deals with dark thoughts, it’s not whiny. It’s actually the most hopeful of their catalog, finding frontman Stefan Babcock at his most reflective and vulnerable. Over 12 tracks, he excavates his life's relationships—romantic, with his bandmates, and most ruthlessly, his relationship to himself. Even if PUP weren’t entirely immune from jam-space spats and band-induced aggravations making this album, they scrapped their tedious perfectionism and rediscovered the joy of making loud music together. They truly had fun this time, we promise!
Following the release of 2022’s The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND, their most adventurous and maximalist full-length, the band’s lives changed significantly. Guitarist Steve Sladkowski got married, bassist Nestor Chumak settled into being a dad, and drummer Zack Mykula moved to a new place in Toronto that allowed him to expand his home studio. As the others were making big decisions and getting their acts together, Babcock felt isolated. He had just ended a decade-long relationship and cut himself off from his bandmates. "We don't get along when we're making records, so I tend to retreat,” says Babcock. “In the past, I'd find comfort in another person, but this time I was at it alone. Being bored and lonely I just started writing music nonstop.” Where the older records took Babcock two to three years to get through 12 tracks, he wrote over 30 songs in a year.
While writing, Babcock had time to reflect and maybe even grow up. “So many early songs were about how I'm a complete fuck up,” he says. “While that remains true, I stopped hating myself as much as I did when I was younger and the people around me accepted me for who I am.” Where PUP’s previous LPs served as a window into six months of Babcock’s life, the songs here take a holistic view of his romantic partnerships, his friendships, and how he treated himself from his youth to now. In a way, writing this album served as a mirror to his emotional growth. It was hard, occasionally sucked, but was ultimately worth it.
Babcock began to view these songs as a chronology: the opening tunes like the blistering “No Hope” and the caustic “Olive Garden” were written from the perspective of his past youthful naïveté, the middle third from frequent bouts of self-loathing, and the final few cuts from the acceptance that comes with finally getting your shit together. While “Hallways” was the first song he wrote for the album, immediately following his breakup, it’s tucked towards the end of the tracklist. Despite its raw feelings, there’s levity and heart in its chorus and the lines, “Cause when one door closes, it might never open / There might be no other doors.” It’s bracing and raw, but its lightness keeps it together. “There's a lot of sadness in the back half of the record, but there's a lot more hope here too,” says Babcock. “I'm just coming to peace with who I am.”
When Babcock brought what he wrote to the rest of the band, they all agreed to let the songs develop as organically as possible. “We realized it should be four people in a room playing,” says Chumak. “The most important thing was trying to do the most with just us.” Historically, the band’s jam sessions are contentious affairs but here, everything fell into place for once. Take the lead single “Paranoid,” which bursts with apocalyptic energy. The song careens from bombastic riffs and Babcock’s ferocious screams, to unrelenting clangs from the rhythm section. It’s the entire band at its heaviest but the chorus is as anthemic and infectious as anything they’ve ever done. It’s quintessential PUP. “We straddle the line between it falling off the rails and then being totally in the pocket,” says Sladkowski. “But our four disparate personalities are what make it interesting.”
They decamped to Los Angeles to work with producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Death Cab For Cutie, Mannequin Pussy). In the studio, he helped the band work through their nagging tendency to overthink things. When they’d like how a take sounded, he’d remind them that they didn’t have to try it again. He’d tell them when songs felt overwritten and to trust each other in the moment. “If we can't solve an arrangement or songwriting problem in the room between the four of us in a few minutes, then it's not really worth solving because we’d just get into a hole and lose perspective,” says Mykula. “Thanks to John, getting out of our heads made it fun.”
Congleton also gave the band the space to, in their words, “completely annihilate” the track “Hunger For Death” and rewrite it in the studio. On “Get Dumber,” which features backing vocals from Jeff Rosenstock, there’s a flubbed line (instead of “It’s pretty fucking obnoxious,” Rosenstock yelps, “ah, lyrics…”). On playback, the mistake made the song even more special. They recorded the entire album in three weeks—less than half the time it took to make The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND. “When I first started writing the lyrics for this record, everything felt really heavy,” says Babcock. “By the time we recorded it, even those dark songs felt light and fun. We didn't even really fight while making this record. It all just felt fucking awesome.”
Compared to the rest of their catalog, Who Will Look After The Dogs? evokes the lightning-in-a-bottle intensity of their self-titled debut (except they are much better at their instruments now). Though they’re all well out of their reckless twenties and have played nearly a thousand shows since then, there’s still unpredictable mayhem in the arrangements and an acerbic bite in the writing. “Because we were less precious with everything this time, it felt like we were capturing the feeling of being in a band for the first time when you finally hear everything clicking,” says Babcock. There’s even a newfound optimism and hope here, especially on the surprisingly graceful closer “Shut Up.” During the penultimate track “Best Revenge,” Babcock sings, “The best revenge is living well / Didn’t even know what was right in front of me.” Even when things seem irrevocably fraught and you slip back into stupid old habits, being around your closest friends can get you through. Or, at the very least, they can tell you to get over yourself.
“With the band, I have such an intense, personal connection with those three guys that I don't have with anybody else in my life,” says Babcock. “Sometimes you have to really go through the shit to have that big high of creating something with your best friends that you could never do alone.”
READ MORE >>SHOW BY SIMILAR ARTISTS
About HI-FI Annex | Indianapolis, IN
HI-FI Annex is an open-air ALL AGES venue located in the back parking lot of The Murphy Arts Center. The main entrance to the venue is located on St. Patrick Street across from the church. All shows end by 10 pm.
Getting Around the Venue
Frequently Asked Questions About HI-FI Annex | Indianapolis, IN
What are the age restrictions at this venue?
HI-FI Annex shows are always all ages, with a handful of exceptions when a 21+ restriction is in place. Bring the whole family!
Check the individual show listings at hifiindy.com to view if there are age restrictions for your show.
HI-FI Annex requires a valid ID for admission. For guests who will be consuming alcoholic beverages, a valid state or government issues ID is required. Everyone will be carded during check-in. Expired and temporary ID’s are not accepted.
Can I upgrade my to VIP seating?
The Sidestage Lounge VIP access offers a premium exclusive viewing location with an up-close and personal view of the stage. It features a private bar with a full selection of cocktails, beer, and wine. While the Sidestage Lounge is an all-ages area, you must be 21+ with a valid ID to visit the bar. Additionally, it provides a comfortable seating area with tables and couches, as well as dedicated outdoor restrooms for your convenience. Click here to reserve your spot in the Sidestage Lounge.
What items are permitted or prohibited at this venue?
Our security staff performs a thorough screening of all bodies, purses and bags entering the venue. All guests will go through security screening to ensure no weapons or non-permitted items enter the venue. Screening may include metal detection and/or wanding.
Permitted and restricted items may vary by show. Below is a general list of permitted and non-permitted items and activities. Ticket buyers will receive information prior to the show with any updates.
Permitted Items
- Small purse/fanny pack/diaper bag – subject to security inspection
- Umbrellas – small, handheld only
- Strollers
- To-go food from local restaurants
- One (1) factory sealed bottle of water or clear plastic refillable water bottle (empty)
- A warm heart & smiles
- Lawn chairs & blankets are only permitted for a select few shows and in designated areas
Non-Permitted Items
For safety reasons, guests are refused entry if they are in possession of prohibited items. Illegal items will be confiscated. If a guest is found inside the venue with a prohibited item, the item will be confiscated and the guest may be ejected from the facility. HI-FI reserves the right to prohibit any item, including items not listed here, from entering the premises if deemed hazardous or disruptive to the event.
- No weapons of any kind: including firearms (with or without permit), knives, multi-tools
- Pepper spray/mace
- Fireworks or flares
- No outside beverages or coolers
- No oversized bags (larger than 12″ x 12″) including backpacks, duffle bags, camelbacks, briefcases luggage etc.
- No drugs or illegal substances
- No laser pointers
- No glass
- No metal water bottles
- No smoking or vaping in venue, designated smoking area outside venue
- No pets or animals – with the exception of documented service animals
- No removable lens cameras or flash photography, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks – unless pre-approved by Event Manager
- No audio or video recording devices – unless pre-approved by Event Manager
- Skateboards, hoverboards, rollerblades, bicycles, scooters – bike parking available outside the venue
- Signs large than 11″ x 17″ or any sign attached to a stick
- Hula hoops, spray paint, silly string
Can I bring a bag into the show?
Yes! You are allowed to bring a small purse or fanny pack, but it may be subject to security inspection.
What’s the parking situation like?
Depending on the day and time, finding a spot can be tricky. On busy show days we advise arriving early to ensure you get a good spot.
We’re excited to announce our partnership with LAZ Parking to offer pre-paid parking options for HI-FI and HI-FI Annex events. The lot is conveniently located directly next to HI-FI Annex, in the former PNC Bank parking lot. Check here for parking availability ahead of your show.
Parking is free on all of the surrounding streets in Fountain Square and most parking lots.
Rideshare and guest drop-off should take place on the corner of Prospect St and St. Patrick St.
We advise against traveling down St. Patrick St on show days, as it can become congested one-way with traffic coming from both directions.
Bike parking is available outside the HI-FI Annex box office as well as at any of the bike racks on Virginia Ave in front of HI-FI.
What is the camera/photo policy for this venue?
The photo policy for each night is posted at the band’s discretion. This policy can change on a nightly basis. As a general rule HI-FI Annex does not allow any professional photography unless pre-approved by the band. For approved photographers, Photos permitted for the first three songs only. No flash. Media and professional photographers can contact marketing@hifiindy.com to submit a request for photo credentials.
Is there food and drink at this venue?
HI-FI Annex offers a variety of food, snacks and drinks for guests of all ages. Any guest consuming alcoholic beverages must provide a government issued ID and be 21 years of age or older.
Snack Shack
Snack Shack is a concession stand for guests of all ages. Choose from several hot and ready food times from Easy Rider Diner including hamburgers, chicken nuggets, vegan burritos and much more. In addition, Snack Shack offers popcorn, slushies, candy, sodas and water. Snack Shack also doubles as a HI-FI merchandise store where you can pickup t-shirts, hats, hoodies, stickers and more from our venues.
Main Bar
Main Bar is located to your right when you enter the venue. It’s the largest container in the venue and serves up the largest selection of beer, wine, spirits, specialty cocktails and boozie slushies. Guests must be 21+ to enter this area.
Stage Bar
Stage Bar is located on the left when you enter the venue, and is the bar closest to the stage. This location serves a selection of beer, wine and cocktails and is the only bar in the venue that serves draft beer.
Sidestage Lounge Bar
This bar is tucked away on the end of Stage Bar, inside of our VIP area known as Sidestage Lounge. This location serves the same options you will find at Stage Bar, but in a private intimate setting.
View seating maps for this venue
The majority of HI-FI Annex shows are general admission, standing-room-only. There is a limited amount of seating upgrades available in Sidestage Lounge. Contact the box office to secure a seating upgrade for your show at boxoffice@hifiindy.com. Shows that are reserved or partially reserved seating configurations will have information or purchase options directly on the event listing.
Can I leave and re-enter the venue?
No. Re-entry is not permitted at this venue with the exception of the external smoking area.
Do you offer ADA, handicap or special needs options?
There are 2 handicapped parking spots in the lot located across Prospect St. closest to El Arado Mexican Grill. The box office handles any special needs or ADA seating requests at boxoffice@hifiindy.com.
Where is the box office located?
Getting tickets to our shows is super easy! You have a few options, depending on how you like to roll:
Online: Grab your tickets in advance from our official websites, hifiindy.com and mokbpresents.com, or through our trusted ticketing partners tixr.com and seetickets.us.
In Person: Swing by one of our three convenient box office locations around the Murphy Arts Center building and grab tickets with no service fees:
HI-FI Annex Box Office: The box office is located at the front entrance off of St. Patrick St.
HI-FI Box Office: Found at 1043 Virginia Ave Suite 4 (at the main entrance to HI-FI). Open only on show nights, starting 1 hour before published show times until 10 pm.
I lost something at the show. Who do I contact?
Have you misplaced something during one of our events? Don’t worry, we’re here to help reunite you with your belongings! While we can’t take responsibility for lost or stolen items, we’re committed to assisting you in any way we can.
Found items are securely stored at our office until they’re claimed. Please note that items lost during late-night events might take until the next morning to reach our lost and found. We know you might be eager to retrieve your belongings (like that phone you’re pinging outside our door at 6 am), but our team typically wraps up late-night events and may not be available until later in the morning.
To inquire about lost items, shoot us an email at boxoffice@hifiindy.com. Found items can be picked up in our Office (Suite 2) Monday – Friday 10am – 6pm. Guests may be required to provide identification or another form of verification to claim their items.
Let’s work together to get your goods back to you as quickly as possible!
What is your refund policy?
What’s Your Refund Policy for Postponed Shows?
If a show gets postponed, don’t sweat it! We’ll shoot you an email to let you know about the change, and if you’re cool with the new date, no further action is needed on your part.We’ll be working diligently to find a new date for the show, and we’ll keep you updated every step of the way. But if you can’t make it to the rescheduled gig, we’ve got your back. You’ll have a generous 30-day window following the announcement of the new date to request a refund.
For those who paid with cash at our box office, just drop us a line at boxoffice@hifiindy.com for further instructions on processing your refund.
Please bear with us as we explore rescheduling options with the tour. Your patience is much appreciated as we work to present the best possible show experience for you.
What’s the Refund Policy for Canceled Shows?
In the unfortunate event of a canceled show, don’t fret! If you purchased your tickets online, your refund will be processed automatically. Just sit tight and allow 3-5 business days for the refund to appear in your bank account.
No need to lift a finger! However, there are a few scenarios where you might need to reach out to our box office:
- If you paid cash at our box office.
- If you’ve received a new or different card since your original purchase.
- If you haven’t seen the refund in your account after 5 business days.
What Happens if a Show Gets Rescheduled?
No worries! If a show you’ve already grabbed tickets for gets rescheduled, your tickets will still be valid for the new date. We’ll shoot you an email to let you know about the change, and if you’re good to go for the new date, no further action is needed on your part.
However, if you can’t make it to the rescheduled gig, we’ve got you covered. You’ll have a generous 30 days from the announcement of the new date to request a refund. Just reach out directly to our box office to kickstart the process.
Beware of counterfeit tickets. How do I tell if my ticket is valid?
It’s crucial for all buyers to exercise caution when purchasing tickets from unauthorized sites and ticket resellers. Tixr is the only ticket vendor supported at our venues. Unfortunately, this is a widespread issue affecting venues nationwide, and true fans often find themselves at a loss. Regrettably, there’s little we can do in such situations. Since the original transaction didn’t occur through our authorized ticketing partners, we lack the necessary information to assist. It’s disheartening to witness fans being taken advantage of, especially on platforms like Craigslist, Facebook, StubHub, VividSeats, SeatGeek, and others. We are only obligated to honor valid tickets purchased through our approved channels.
Can I purchase tickets in person without fees?
Yes. HI-FI Annex box office is located at the main entrance off of St. Patrick St. The box office is open 1 hour prior to the published door time. Additionally, the HI-FI box office (suite 4) is open 1 hour prior to the published door time on HI-FI show nights.
NOTE: HI-FI venues are now cashless. We accept all major credit cards and tap-to-pay options for tickets and other purchases inside the venues.
Do you have free WI-FI?
Yes. HI-FI Annex offers free WI-FI during all shows. Simply select the HI-FI Free WI-FI network and you are all set.
Buy Tickets
ARTIST PROFILE | PUP
Over the past decade, PUP have thrived on volatility. It's not really a joke when the Toronto punks release songs like “If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will” or put out albums called The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND. Though its four members are all best friends, creative dysfunction and interpersonal friction make their snarling and self-deprecating songs thrilling. To their shock and occasional dismay, it’s why their four albums are critically acclaimed and the crowds at their galvanizing live shows have only grown. It hasn’t gone off the rails yet but it definitely could. The possibility it could all blow up at any second is the band’s magic.
Who Will Look After The Dogs?, PUP’s pummeling and cathartic fifth LP, is their most immediate, no-frills, and hard-hitting full-length yet. Out May 5 via Little Dipper / Rise Records, it’s the culmination of their past decade of constant touring and their palpable, livewire chemistry. While it deals with dark thoughts, it’s not whiny. It’s actually the most hopeful of their catalog, finding frontman Stefan Babcock at his most reflective and vulnerable. Over 12 tracks, he excavates his life's relationships—romantic, with his bandmates, and most ruthlessly, his relationship to himself. Even if PUP weren’t entirely immune from jam-space spats and band-induced aggravations making this album, they scrapped their tedious perfectionism and rediscovered the joy of making loud music together. They truly had fun this time, we promise!
Following the release of 2022’s The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND, their most adventurous and maximalist full-length, the band’s lives changed significantly. Guitarist Steve Sladkowski got married, bassist Nestor Chumak settled into being a dad, and drummer Zack Mykula moved to a new place in Toronto that allowed him to expand his home studio. As the others were making big decisions and getting their acts together, Babcock felt isolated. He had just ended a decade-long relationship and cut himself off from his bandmates. "We don't get along when we're making records, so I tend to retreat,” says Babcock. “In the past, I'd find comfort in another person, but this time I was at it alone. Being bored and lonely I just started writing music nonstop.” Where the older records took Babcock two to three years to get through 12 tracks, he wrote over 30 songs in a year.
While writing, Babcock had time to reflect and maybe even grow up. “So many early songs were about how I'm a complete fuck up,” he says. “While that remains true, I stopped hating myself as much as I did when I was younger and the people around me accepted me for who I am.” Where PUP’s previous LPs served as a window into six months of Babcock’s life, the songs here take a holistic view of his romantic partnerships, his friendships, and how he treated himself from his youth to now. In a way, writing this album served as a mirror to his emotional growth. It was hard, occasionally sucked, but was ultimately worth it.
Babcock began to view these songs as a chronology: the opening tunes like the blistering “No Hope” and the caustic “Olive Garden” were written from the perspective of his past youthful naïveté, the middle third from frequent bouts of self-loathing, and the final few cuts from the acceptance that comes with finally getting your shit together. While “Hallways” was the first song he wrote for the album, immediately following his breakup, it’s tucked towards the end of the tracklist. Despite its raw feelings, there’s levity and heart in its chorus and the lines, “Cause when one door closes, it might never open / There might be no other doors.” It’s bracing and raw, but its lightness keeps it together. “There's a lot of sadness in the back half of the record, but there's a lot more hope here too,” says Babcock. “I'm just coming to peace with who I am.”
When Babcock brought what he wrote to the rest of the band, they all agreed to let the songs develop as organically as possible. “We realized it should be four people in a room playing,” says Chumak. “The most important thing was trying to do the most with just us.” Historically, the band’s jam sessions are contentious affairs but here, everything fell into place for once. Take the lead single “Paranoid,” which bursts with apocalyptic energy. The song careens from bombastic riffs and Babcock’s ferocious screams, to unrelenting clangs from the rhythm section. It’s the entire band at its heaviest but the chorus is as anthemic and infectious as anything they’ve ever done. It’s quintessential PUP. “We straddle the line between it falling off the rails and then being totally in the pocket,” says Sladkowski. “But our four disparate personalities are what make it interesting.”
They decamped to Los Angeles to work with producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Death Cab For Cutie, Mannequin Pussy). In the studio, he helped the band work through their nagging tendency to overthink things. When they’d like how a take sounded, he’d remind them that they didn’t have to try it again. He’d tell them when songs felt overwritten and to trust each other in the moment. “If we can't solve an arrangement or songwriting problem in the room between the four of us in a few minutes, then it's not really worth solving because we’d just get into a hole and lose perspective,” says Mykula. “Thanks to John, getting out of our heads made it fun.”
Congleton also gave the band the space to, in their words, “completely annihilate” the track “Hunger For Death” and rewrite it in the studio. On “Get Dumber,” which features backing vocals from Jeff Rosenstock, there’s a flubbed line (instead of “It’s pretty fucking obnoxious,” Rosenstock yelps, “ah, lyrics…”). On playback, the mistake made the song even more special. They recorded the entire album in three weeks—less than half the time it took to make The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND. “When I first started writing the lyrics for this record, everything felt really heavy,” says Babcock. “By the time we recorded it, even those dark songs felt light and fun. We didn't even really fight while making this record. It all just felt fucking awesome.”
Compared to the rest of their catalog, Who Will Look After The Dogs? evokes the lightning-in-a-bottle intensity of their self-titled debut (except they are much better at their instruments now). Though they’re all well out of their reckless twenties and have played nearly a thousand shows since then, there’s still unpredictable mayhem in the arrangements and an acerbic bite in the writing. “Because we were less precious with everything this time, it felt like we were capturing the feeling of being in a band for the first time when you finally hear everything clicking,” says Babcock. There’s even a newfound optimism and hope here, especially on the surprisingly graceful closer “Shut Up.” During the penultimate track “Best Revenge,” Babcock sings, “The best revenge is living well / Didn’t even know what was right in front of me.” Even when things seem irrevocably fraught and you slip back into stupid old habits, being around your closest friends can get you through. Or, at the very least, they can tell you to get over yourself.
“With the band, I have such an intense, personal connection with those three guys that I don't have with anybody else in my life,” says Babcock. “Sometimes you have to really go through the shit to have that big high of creating something with your best friends that you could never do alone.”
READ MORE >>About the Venue
Upgrades: The Sidestage Lounge VIP access offers a premium exclusive viewing location with an up-close and personal view of the stage. It features a private bar, a comfortable seating area, as well as dedicated outdoor restrooms. Click here to reserve your spot in Sidestage Lounge.
Ticket Support: Box Office opens 1 hour before published door time. For ticket related questions please email boxoffice@hifiindy.com.
Parking: Street Parking, Bike Parking
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