Trooper Fest 4: the final fest, in memoriam to the most famous punk cat king in Vancouver

 

Trooper Fest is a multi-day, all-ages Vancouver punk festival that organizer, musician, and former Black Lab affiliate Noelle Chaos (previously interviewed here) has been putting on these last few years to help raise funds for the care of her diabetic cat Trooper. She wrote touchingly about her history with Trooper last year, to mark the third annual Trooper Fest. 

This year will be the fourth and final Trooper Fest, which Noelle began organizing in the spring, before Trooper's passing on March 2nd. She's already been hosting events in the buildup to the weekend, but the music starts tonight (Friday, July 24th) at the Russian Hall at 600 Campbell, headlined by Seattle punk band Kids on Fire, before moving to the Red Gate (1965 Main St) for the rest of the weekend. Funds raised by Trooper Fest 2026 will go to help other animals in need, more on which below.

Trooper and Noelle

The lineup for tonight (doors at 6:30, bands at 7; the Russian Hall is near the intersection of Campbell and Keefer) will start with local acts, kicking off with standup from Alex Mo of the band Alien Boys. We have no idea what Alex is going to do but are most intrigued!

Alex Mo by Bob Hanham

This will -- minus whatever announcements or raffles or other shenanigans are planned -- be followed by a set from "Trooper's human's band", Chaos Disorder and Panic, and a set from Vancouver's thrashy, rude, and funny punk band the Fomites (whose bandcamp describes them as being "influenced by skate, horror, pizza, sci-fi and all things rad" and whose band name rivals working from home as one of the best carryovers from COVID). 

The Fomites will be followed by two out-of-town acts, tuneful Calgary punk act Quit It! (formerly the River Jacks), featuring Spencer Jo, whom we first saw performing a solo set at the Black Lab back in 2020 ) and then, as noted, Kids on Fire.

Again, the entire festival, including the Russian Hall and Red Gate chapters, is all ages. Noelle—who notes that she always knew the festival had an expiration date—wrote the following on the occasion of what would have been Trooper's 14th birthday (on Wednesday), saying that she missed her furry best friend and was saddened to celebrate his birthday without him:

Trooper Fest was never like other fests. It was a labor of love born out of necessity to help with the costs of caring for the most important creature in my life. Me and Trooper were a team, we did everything together. As we approach the final Trooper Fest, I’d like to reflect on how what started out as a desperate Hail Mary single show thrown together in about two weeks when Trooper first got sick grew into not just a fundraiser to help me care for my cat, and not just an annual weekend fest but a beautiful celebration that brought out the best in our community.

Trooper, with his light-up-a-room personality, had a way of making everyone who knew him want to be his friend. The fest as it grew brought a lot of people together from many different parts of the punk scene as well as the community at large and it introduced to me to many people who I now call friends and comrades. I’ve also heard a lot of stories people have told me about Trooper Fest being their first show, how attending the fest helped them find a place in the community and lots of different stories of what the fest meant to them. I’ve also heard stories from people who said they mourned Trooper's passing but they will also mourn the end of the end of the fest because of those experiences. It makes me happy and proud to look at how it grew and evolved into something we as a community built together. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank anyone who has ever supported Trooper Fest in any way. The venues, the bands, the volunteers, the labels, the vendors, people who donate to the raffle, make the merch, do important behind the scenes stuff; and you the show going public who throws down at the door and helped make sure Trooper got everything he needed. Thank you for giving me and Trooper three and a half extra years.

 

Day two, on Saturday at Red Gate, will include, Noelle reports, "Skellytune, Matt Earle (of Dead End Drive In and Earmarked), Danger Box from Nanaimo and, headlining the night, local punks Die Job" (who I shot at Red Gate a couple years ago -- fun band!). 

But there will also be a free matinee screening of Trooper's favourite movie, the original 1978 John Carpenter version of Halloween, earlier that day at Red Gate, Noelle explains: "Trooper was a cat with a taste for the classics. Doors at 3pm and movie at 3:30pm: join us for a unique and classic theater experience as we screen the movie on a projector through the venue PA and we all relax on comfy couches. There will be popcorn and concession stand style snacks available and air conditioning. As a way to thank the community for your support this event is free come celebrate with us. Please note although the movie screening is free. The show afterwards does cost $20!"

The final night, Sunday, July 26th at Red Gate, will include Blake Pinder (from Chilliwack the city, not Chilliwack the band; this is true of many of the acts playing day three); Clay (but not Clayton Holmes; this is a different local band called Clay; their bandcamp is eluding me); Assaliant (ditto re: their bandcamp); New World on Fire; JISEI (from Vancouver/ Victoria) and headlining, Emma Goldman, whom Noelle notes have just returned from their European tour.

Emma Goldman at the Rickshaw, 2025, by Allan MacInnis

With the festival now happening in Trooper's memory, Noelle thought about how she wanted to close out the festival, and how to best give Trooper the celebration of life he deserves, she explains. "I wanted him to have the legacy I think he would have wanted. After seeing how little there is available to low income pet parents, especially of older pets with complicated chronic conditions, the profits from this years Trooper Fest will be used to create the King Trooper Memorial low-income vet fund which I hope will break down some of the barriers low income folks face when their baby falls through the cracks. As our way of doing something to support the community that supported us."

Fourteen bands and a comedian, "representing every single kind of punk" will be performing; Noelle notes that the diversity in the line ups is her favourite feature of the festival. "Every single band is Trooper approved. God damn did my cat have good taste in both music and friends. The entire fest is super-stacked front to back and I encourage people to look up all the bands." (We've provided links where we could). Anyone who thinks punks are antisocial can correct this mis-impression starting tonight. (I dug my All Cats Are Beautiful t-shirt out for the occasion -- believe that's Trooper there!).

Thanks for inspiring such a great community event, Trooper (and being such a good cat companion, Noelle!).