The Last Pogo

The Last Pogo was a short film made by Colin Brunton in 1978.

Shot in Toronto, at the Horseshoe Tavern, The last Pogo concert was billed as "the last punk rock concert" in Toronto -- at least for that original wave of punksters circa 1977/1978. Featuring performances by The Scenics, The Cardboard Brains, The Secrets, The Mods, The Ugly, The Viletones and Teenage Head, the event also spawned a live recording called "And Now Live From Toronto -- The Last Pogo".

Apart from the performances, the highlight of the film was probably the shots of the aftermath, because during the show, a bit of a riot occurred. Brunton's crew was ushered outside by police and firefighters, but the sound recordist stuck it out. You can hear the riot, but you can't see it, although you do get to see the destruction afterwards.

In 2006, filmmaker Brunton embarked on a quirky and overly-ambitious project: The Last Pogo Jumps Again, which tracked the fates of all 500+ people that were there. Filming began in June, 2006, and Brunton and his small crew expect to continue their detective work -- simply finding people -- well into 2008. The film -- and massive DVD collection -- will be completed in time for the 30th anniversary, December 1, 2008.