Looking back now, it feels like a time capsule from the moment right before everything exploded, a day that set the bar for what Fangirl Diaries has become: an all-access look at bands who aren’t just playing shows, but are out there screaming what needs to be said.

Even with a Juno trophy on the shelf, the backstage energy hasn’t shifted. “I still bartend, but now I’m a Juno award-winning bartender!” lead vocalist and bassist Kathryn McCaughey says with a laugh, adding, “Sometimes customers recognize me and are like, ‘Are you that girl that sings about her pussy?’ It’s pretty cool.” Hanging out with them again before their sold-out show at The Fox Cabaret in Vancouver, it’s striking how low-key and kind they remain — a group of genuine friends who actually enjoy the ride together.

But don’t let the chill fool you. On stage, that friendship turns into something feral. Their sound is a thick, fuzzy wall of garage-punk — snarling basslines, frantic percussion, and choruses built to be shouted in a basement with 200 of your closest friends. When they launched into “Set Your Pussy Free,” it wasn’t just a cue for the mosh pit — it was a call to arms. It’s one thing to win an award and play it safe; it’s another to stand there and scream, “I want a pussy with equal rights” and “No one’s pussy is free until every pussy is free.” Between the “Fuck Trumps” and the high-octane riffs, they made it clear: this isn’t just a party — it’s a protest.

When I asked how to keep “setting our pussies free” in a political climate that feels increasingly hostile, Kathryn didn’t reach for a platitude. Instead, she pointed to the front row in the unlikeliest place. “We recently went on tour with The Front Bottoms, and Alabama was the gayest place I’ve ever been,” she told me, still a bit awestruck. “There were lots of queer kids having the absolute best time. They weren’t afraid to be themselves and it gave me so much hope for the future.”

It’s a reminder that joy can be its own form of resistance. Seeing that kind of bravery in the heart of the South shifted something for her. “I was truly inspired by their bravery,” she says, “and how much having a good time together will always win.”

That spirit of collective release is exactly what they’re bringing to this Western Canadian run. It feels like a homecoming — old friends, family, familiar rooms — but the mission hasn’t changed. When I asked what’s next, the answer was as punchy and unapologetic as a NOBRO bassline: “We intend to shred until we smash the patriarchy.” It’s a tall order, but after watching them turn a sold-out room into a sweaty, unified protest, it’s hard to bet against them.

There’s something reassuring about the band that launched this column still doing exactly what they said they would: staying kind, creating space, and refusing to shut up about what matters. Industry accolades haven’t sanded down their edges — they’ve just given them a louder microphone. And as for me? I’ll be in the front row, diary in hand, for as long as they keep shredding.

Catch NOBRO on one of their remaining Canadian tour dates:

April 22 at Commonwealth (Calgary) — TICKETS
April 23 at the Starlite Room (Edmonton) — TICKETS
April 25 at Sidestage (Winnipeg) — TICKETS