Kate Warner of Mirror Fears Had a Rough First Show at Bar Bar

“Totere was a six-piece hardcore group, which is as loud and fun as it sounds. Bar Bar had already been made infamous to me by my siblings. Being in a bar and being under 21 is never super-fun for anybody. The doorman drew giant Xs on my hands and glowered at me at first, but soon realized I was far too square and dorky to worry about.

“Our setup was ridiculous, with three full stacks of amps for the guitars and bassist, a full trap kit and my own rig: an impractical and jankity plastic controller running an old sound module, connected to a VT-22 amp head that I swear was heavier than me. Way too much gear. The only way to set up that made sense was for me to basically face the wall/corner exit. It felt pretty absurd and looked nothing like a show was supposed to look, in my mind. The show was a blur. I couldn’t hear anything. My ears rang for days. I left not remembering what had just happened.”

Mirror Fears will be at Syntax Physic Opera on Thursday, April 19.

Editor’s Note: The Denver Bootleg is a series chronicling the history of local music venues by longtime Denver cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz. Visit Krumpholz’s website to see more of his work.