The recognition was long overdue, however, as the LGBTQ+ community has held this time of year in reverence ever since the 1969 Stonewall rebellion, when a June 28 police raid on the Stonewall Inn in New York sparked a series of protests that lasted until the eve of the Fourth of July. Denver first hosted a Pride event in 1974, becoming one of a handful of major cities to do so at the time.
“Denver has always had a very welcoming community, no matter what it is. The LGBT has always been very welcoming, even the goth community is big and welcoming,” says Alexis Draper, vocalist of local melodeath-makers Hel Hath Fury.
“All of Colorado, but especially Denver, seems to be fairly protective and welcoming of the people who are different from them. It’s one of those things that I love about the state, and it makes me happy to be here opposed to other places in the country.”
Denver Pride will be officially celebrated from June 28 to 29 at Civic Center Park, among other events around the city. But there’s a more recent, lesser-known LGBTQ gathering happening from Friday, June 6, to Sunday, June 8, at Seventh Circle Music Collective that aims to highlight alternative music and all the people who make and support it. Formerly called the Underground Pride Festival, the three-day event will be going by Underground Wrath for its fourth annual edition. The name change is in response to the current administration’s all-out public assault on marginalized groups, including people of color and migrants.
“This year, there’s so much going on for everyone, whether they’re LGBT or of color or any category. There are people trying to strip us of that pride we’re allowed to feel for ourselves and claim that we should be ashamed,” Draper says.
“Someone trying to forcibly take that from you feels like a pretty good reason to be angry about, so changing it from Pride to Wrath this year feels more than fair and it feels like what we need, that step to remind us that we are here and we are allowed to be who we are and we can be angry about it,” she continues.
The three-day celebration, courtesy of BiteSize Productions, includes more than eighty bands and organizations. There’s not enough space to name them all here, but the main point is it’s an event for the community by the community, and doesn’t need any corporate sponsorship or backing to throw such a badass DIY showcase.
Mile High melodeath band Hel Hath Fury lives up to its name.
Courtesy Tony Gomez/Shoot & Destroy Photography
Hel Hath Fury — which also includes bassist Sara Haveman, drummer Case Mcpeek, and guitarists Joey Reddix and Zach Haveman — released its debut EP, From Ashes, in January and is sure to bring the fire and ferocity when it hits the stage. The five songs feature crazy-yet-melodious guitar work, alongside Draper’s seismic vocal range.
“It’s part of spreading that message, not staying silent and doing what you can with what little power you have,” Sara Haveman, who is originally from Canada and completed her U.S. citizenship in November 2024, says. “We really give a shit. We care about people around us. We give a shit about our music, the scene and what’s going on in the world.”
Denver metallic hardcore crew White Oak Doors shares a similar sentiment. The five-piece of vocalist Louise Fabry, guitarist Christian Grabowski, vocalist-guitarist Hunter Hither, bassist-vocalist Richie Cupp and drummer Jane Jensen is known to “call out Trump at every one of our fucking shows,” according to Jensen, who is trans.
While a recent viral video of Trump canceling this year’s Pride Month appears to be a “deepfake,” the current president (holds back vomit) did decline to federally recognize it during his first term in 2017, though he offered a supportive tweet in 2019, for what it’s worth, but he’s since been back on his bullshit.
“Sometimes we’ll end the set by just playing the ‘Fuck Donald Trump’ song. That pissed off a couple of skinheads at a show and they left, which was awesome,” Cupp adds, pointing to the 2016 rally cry by rapper YG and the late Nipsey Hussle.
But when it comes to originals, White Oak Doors knows how to write heavy, heartfelt bangers, including on the two most recently released singles, “Summer’s End” and “Thought Eater.” There’s an EP in the works, too, but for now, the five-piece is looking forward to doing its thing live, including continuing to speak truth to power — an ethos Underground Wrath shares for sure.
“It’s just trying to empower having trans people in our band, just making sure that we see them and them being here is important to us,” Cupp concludes. “It might be bleak, but you got allies out here and on stage and in your everyday life.”
4th Annual Underground Wrath, 3 p.m. Friday, June 6; 1 p.m. Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, Seventh Circle Music Collective, 2935 West 7th Ave. $15 donation at the door each day.
