Underground Music Showcase 2024 Review: Standout Performances, Photos

The Underground Music Showcase was Denver’s hottest music event this year in more ways than one. But even as the temperature crept to the upper 90s this past weekend, festival-goers didn’t let that stop them from getting down to live music from local bands as well as national and even international acts.

The action was sizzling at outdoor stages and independent venues along Broadway, and once again, UMS showed that there’s top-tier talent in this city.

We kicked off the festival on Friday with Blank Slate, a queer indie trio from Denver debuting its new lead singer, Cameron Cade. Wearing a black and red “Free Palestine” shirt, Cade shared her hypnotizing vocals over Rylee Dunn’s dual guitar/bass and Tess Condron’s energetic drumming. After sharing that they wanted to promote more equitable booking for people of color in Denver, the three musicians brought up ego of ego n friends, who debuted his new song, “you a mess,” which is about, well, UMS. Leading up to the festival, Cade and ego shared a video on Instagram discussing how the festival needed to book more artists of color – precisely what the song covers. (You can see ego perform it at his intimate concert at the Westword office for our members on Thursday, August 1.)

Soy Celesté was our next stop, and a standout of the day. Fronted by Celesté Martinez, the trio makes an intoxicating blend of punk and Latin folk that is decidedly feminist: Martinez had the whole crowd screaming “Feminism is intersectional!” And as she told us from the stage at HQ, “If feminism isn’t intersectional, it’s patriarchy.”

Friday’s highlight came with DNA Picasso at the Hornet, which was wall-to-wall packed throughout the set. DNA, who has taken home Best of Denver awards for Best Album and Best Music Video in the last two years, performed songs from his latest album, EXTENDED PLAYLIST VOL. 1, showcasing his unparalleled bars that had the crowd captivated. And he was sure to spread the love: “I want to show the caliber of hip-hop in this city,” he said…and did, bringing out collaborators Malcolm Whyz3, Ro$$ay, Wes B, DJ Malc G, Indigo Jones and Sam Bhara on keys. It was a pure hip-hop party and a display of talent that stuck with us for the rest of the festival, with Ro$$ay putting on another stellar set on Saturday.

While my friend headed to the Brooklyn indie band Beach Fossils at the Showcase Stage, I ran to Bar 404, where Denver act Cherry Spit was blasting its noise rock. The fuzzed-out chords and bashing drums made for more of an art experience, bridging Dada territory, but the stomping Doc Martens throughout the crowd recalled the best DIY punk shows of my teen years. I would recommend this group to anyone searching for the space where punk and art meet…kind of confusing, somewhat absurd, but cohesively satisfying.

By the end of that show, the stages had shut down, meaning everyone was headed to the bars and venues. A line curved around the hi-dive and HQ was filled to the brim, with people doing their best attempt at salsa dancing while Ritmo Cascabel brought the house down with its psychedelic cumbia. The Skylark, where we closed out Friday with Grace DeVine in the upstairs Bobcat Club, was also packed. DeVine always puts on a stunner show, and this was no exception, playing a set of her originals as well as covers of “Just a Girl” and “Unwritten” that no doubt collected her a swath of new fans.

The festival began a little after 2 p.m. on Saturday, and I was blown away by Kayla Marque, whose spellbinding set of soul-infused tunes was supplemented by YasmineEmani, Wes Watkins, Enmanuel Alexander and Braxton Kahn. The harmonies on the song “Retrograde” were hypnotizing, leading me to immediately look up Marque’s upcoming dates (she’ll be performing a SoFar Sounds show on August 2).

Then it was all about Horse Bitch, which had filled the hi-dive the night before. The group, which won a Best of Denver this year for Best Out-of-Pocket Lyrics, was another highlight of the weekend, and brought a big audience to the Underground Stage. The members stomped around in a high-energy set that drew laughs and moshes from the crowd before collapsing in a heap on stage to finish it out. 

Los Mocochetes headed up the Showcase Stage next, and celebrated ten years of performing its activist rock alongside youngster Ceora Cruz playing tambourine. She added a whole lot of flair to an already lively set from these Denver mainstays, swinging her instrument around (always on beat), singing along and riling up the crowd. From there, we went to Schama Noel‘s set at the Backyard Stage, where he played some new material as well as songs from his Best of Denver award-winning album Two Can Play at That Game. Then Velvet Daydream showed us what it’s made of at Banded Oak, where it performed classic-rock-inspired originals that blended perfect harmonies with a true rock star attitude, keeping the crowd fully engaged throughout the show.

Our highlight on Saturday came with Mr. Knobs, an indefinable four-piece that had the hi-dive crowd mesmerized and moving. Fronted by vocalist “Mister Knobs,” the band includes fiddle, bass, guitar and drums, and alternates between ethereal and heavy, with mind-bending exchanges between the fiddle and vocals. After leaving our brains on the floor, we were then carried away by the rugged blues rock of Shady Oaks, which took over the stage for a raucous set that included frontman Ty Gallaway storming the crowd while shredding the guitar. And the crazy didn’t stop there: Rootbeer Richie was on next for the secret set, with a line around the venue of fans eager to get in.

As for Sunday: While UMS takes pride in its accessibility outreach, it was somewhat surprising that the “ADA section” at the Underground Stage, for example, comprised three folding chairs on mulch, and the Backyard Stage had no seating whatsoever; it was a fool’s errand finding any within the venue, of course. While our photographer was able to make it through all three days, as someone with spinal arthritis, I cannot stand for more than an hour – and after two days, I was done.

But I’m already looking forward to next year. And in the meantime, see photos from the entire festival below:

Find more concerts in Denver on our concert calendar.