Punk culture going mad beneath Billings' suburban veneer

Pub Station hosted local bands No Cigar, Do Fish Make Noise, and Octopi Drive By for Punk Night this month as a part of its Love Your Locals concert series.

"People always say Billings, like, just doesn't have a music scene and it shockingly does," said Gordon Lemmel, the bass player with Octopi Drive By.

The performers said the local music scene is a reflection of how the city makes them feel.

"Some sort of, like, transgressive experience is going on between, like, the band and the audience. It's a give and take," said Zach Reiter, a guitarist and vocalist with No Cigar.

Bands said the chaotic atmosphere is a form of release from commonplace stress.

"All you need is to get jumped around and punch someone in the (explicate) mouth," said Nicholas Montee-Shayn, the frontman for Do Fish Make Noise.

Each of the bands emphasized the importance of local-focused live events like those at Pub Station, which hosted the Punk Nights on April 13.

"Every big band that you have ever seen or heard of was a local band," Nick Miles, the drummer of No Cigar.