We sent Denver music journalist Tom Murphy to the 2025 Underground Music Showcase to listen to some tunes and take some pictures (not a bad gig!). Here are a few of his notes on his favorite performances from the weekend.
Ipecac at HQ
Impressive from the beginning, Ipecac is a genuinely exciting band with roots in 70s and 80s hard rock, metal and punk. Guitarist Ariadnee Ziady’s sheer command of guitar was reminiscent of peak Lita Ford in fusing hard rock chops and flair with keen pop instincts. The entire band had a collective charisma that was undeniable, with lead singer Isabella Osborne providing a welcome bit of rock theater.
Pink Lady Monster on the Sidewalk South of Pleasures
In guerilla style, Pink Lady Monster set up a P.A., borrowed electricity from a nearby source and treated all comers to an alternative to the UMS both in format and style. The band deconstructed quirkiness and turned it into a sometimes gentle and playful, sometimes confrontational but always intriguing No Wave funk that drew a crowd. The band succeeded, with an expert mixing of high concept art weirdness with dance music accessibility.
RAREBYRD$ at Hi-Dive
Swagger in abundance buoyed by dense low end beats, organic Afro-Cuban percussion and entrancing ambient soundscapes, RAREBYRD$ brought some of that East Side Denver metro energy and its gritty spirit to the Hi-Dive. Looking like the hip-hop equivalent of glam rock legends, the trio somehow embodied an alluring and confrontational energy that pushed and pulled in a set-long dance with the audience. Rarely does a hip-hop group go so hard with such elegance of execution.
Machete Mouth at Get Loud Stage
It would be tempting to compare Machete Mouth to Goldfrapp due to the richness of pop composition and soundscaping. But there is such a soulful richness and sheer emotional power and versatility to the vocal performances that it leaves a deep impression. Machete Mouth is able to sing about deeply personal subjects and about psychic pain that transforms those harrowing moments into expressions of a passion for life imparted to everyone who witnesses the performance.
Kitty Crimes at The Skylark Lounge
Occupying the liminal creative space between David Bowie, Peaches, early Big Freedia and Charli XCX, Kitty Crimes returned from a more than five-year hiatus of playing live like it never happened. With new songs like “HI EVIL GIRL 222,” Maria prowled the stage and the audience with a confident and charismatic ease. The set even included a cover of Nirvana’s “All Apologies” that Kitty Crimes made its own with copious audience participation. A warm and electrifying performance.
The Milk Blossoms at The Skylark Lounge
Especially emotionally engaging, the songs for this show seemed to overflow with a raw vulnerability that entranced and soothed the psyche. With music awash in dreamlike melancholia, The Milk Blossoms brought a humanity and warmth in the performance of it that rendered deep heartache and vivid poetic imagery into the kind of soft catharsis that’s good for the soul. At the end of the set, original member Michelle Rocquet joined on vocals for stirring and powerful renditions of “Walk Back” and the particularly fervent “When We Kiss.”
