Indiewood Street Festival Made an Epic, Sold-Out Debut

Summer is unofficially here, and the inaugural Indiewood Street Festival in Englewood was the perfect way to kick it off. The festival was an absolute hit for the scene — we can always use more music festivals — and showcased not just our great local talent, but the magic that can happen when a city and nonprofit collaborate to throw an event that really activates the community and uplifts artists.

Swallow Hill Music had been planning the event with Downtown Englewood for the past year, marking the music nonprofit's return to the festival world since the pandemic shut down its Blues and Brews and Brewgrass fests, and the intention put into Indiewood showed in every detail. A colorful installation of flowers by Cal Duran decorated the Little Dry Creek Plaza, and well-curated vendors lined the way to the stage. By mid-afternoon on June 7, the festival was sold out and the crowd was all smiles through every act.
Popular shoegaze indie-rock band Barbara kicked off the festival with its signature shoegaze grunge. The band expertly lays a foundation to build soundscapes that entrance an audience, and we got to hear songs off of its latest album, SO THIS IS LIVING, which is one of the best local indie albums released so far this year. The basslines had us moving without even realizing it, the vocals were heavenly and the sound would grow, from delicate to deeply heavy.

Sunstoney took the stage next and delivered a set of dreamy pop songs that pumped up the energy — the entire audience, which included people of all ages, was dancing to the relatable lyrics of such songs as "stoned in the parking lot" and "ladder." Sunstoney's voice was mellifluous and powerful, with bassist Kathryn Fernandez maintaining a steady groove as Susan Lucia held it down on the drums. The band's stage presence kept the crowd engaged, and Sunstoney shared stories behind her songs.
Rootbeer Richie and the Reveille then delivered a set of funky rock and roll influenced by frontman Rootbeer's Louisiana roots. By this time, the fest was completely packed, and the vibes were high. The seven-piece group performed songs from its Best of Denver award-winning album Never Needed Me, which sounds even better live. The crowd was buzzing by the end of the set, creating a warm welcome for the next act, Yarn, which played a stellar set of country and Americana tunes. The band, which came from New York for the festival, stuck with the high energy throughout the show, sharing songs from its latest album, Born, Blessed, Grateful and Alive, which continues Yarn's traditional, bluegrass-tinged sound that's earned it slots performing with such bands as Leftover Salmon.
Kiltro, one of the best indie-rock bands in Denver, closed out the festival with a bang. The band brought its all to the set, which showcased its singular blend of psychedelic rock, Chilean folk and shoegaze. Kiltro has built a reputation for its lively, engaging performances; the members didn't hold back, and the crowd responded — every single person was dancing their ass off to the upbeat rhythms, and it was the perfect way to end the fest as the sun began to set.

Indiewood's debut couldn't have been better. Selling out its first year just shows how much the local community really values such events. From the food trucks to the vendors, it was like a block party that happened to have incredible music. When we interviewed Swallow Hill CEO Jessy Clark ahead of the festival, she was already thrilled, saying that "it feels like a unicorn in all the right ways."
While she didn't say whether the fest would become an annual event, she did promise to see how this year went. And given the success of the debut, we're hoping that Indiewood returns to start off summer for years to come.

See more photos from the festival below:

Find more concerts on our concert calendar.