January 24, 2026 - Toronto, Canada

To try to call Black Pontiac one single thing or fit them into a genre would be disrespectful to the band itself. Built in the heart of the underground scene on Canada’s West coast in Vancouver, Black Pontiac exists outside of any pre-conceived notions of what a band should be or do, driving their own show on their own terms.

Taking the stage at Toronto’s legendary The Drake Underground, the night was unbridled chaos from the first moment lead singer Matt Purkiss looked up and smiled out at the crowd. Comprised of guitarist Mack Riddell, drummer Sam Riddell, and bassist Avery John Shoesmith, each member is introduced as “Mr. Pontiac”, a single united personality built on the grit of their garage rock origins with a bold glam edge.

With cult-like charisma, the band is impossible to look away from, the audience continually inching closer to the stage, drawn into the magnetic allure of the show in front of them. Dominating the room with the control of seasoned pros, the audience was more than happy to indulge anything the band asked for, as mosh pits, dancing and requests for the entire crowd to get down on the floor were quickly answered throughout the night.

Each song on the setlist was met with a resounding chorus of cheers, with tracks like “Tsunami” and “Elevation” sparking excited shouts throughout the room. Through the set, the band teased a couple tracks off of their upcoming new album, A Danger to Himself and Others, scheduled to release this summer. The excitement was palpable for the record to come, as the crowd held their breath through the introduction to “Sick Puppy” and laughed along as the band explained “Kids on Drugs”, is in fact, about kids on drugs.

Flexing their range, Black Pontiac went from fast, high energy rock to asking the audience to slow down and pull out lighters for a moment of reflection in the space of a heartbeat, only to play part of a slowed down cover of Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything”, singing “Grab somebody sexy tell ‘em heyooo” out over the audience who happily completed the call and response, singing “heyooo” back at the stage. Transitioning into arguably their only true slow song, the audience stayed swaying with lighters and flashlights in the air as the band shifted into “Slow Dance at the Disco”.

The band kept an air of humour throughout the set, playing a variety of little snippets of different covers while dancing across the stage. With easy smiles, there was a glimmer of danger in the air, the band pushing the limits of the night, trying to see just how far they can take the audience who was more than happy to indulge their every whim.

Driving the energy in the room back up with fan favourites like “The Streets Are Hot Tonight” and “Soda Pop Rock”, the crowd fed off of the intensity of the band, dancing, singing, and jumping along to each track. As the night concluded and the band stepped off stage, the crowd wasted no time demanding an encore, not quite ready to say goodbye just yet.

As the band made a swift return, words were exchanged quietly between members before they all looked out into the audience and ripped into a fast-paced cover of Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!”, before melting into a medley with “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon and back again to their own “Island Honey”, as the crowd savoured the last couple of songs of the night.

If one thing is for certain, it’s that Black Pontiac is an unstoppable force, playing completely by their own rules. Absolutely magnetic on stage, it's impossible not to get pulled into their world, addicted to the teetering edge of the chaos they rule over. Watch out for the release of their upcoming album, A Danger to Himself and Others, coming this summer.