The time is finally upon us. After months of anticipation, lineup drops, surprise announcements, lead up events, and overall excitement, Blucifer’s First Rodeo is finally here. Kicking off Thursday, July 23rd with a night held at some of Denver’s most beloved DIY spaces including Blossom House, D3 Arts, Ante Up, 7th Circle Music Collective and Squirm Gallery, the festival will run through Sunday, July 26th. Over the course of the weekend, the festival will host 259 local artists across DIY spaces on Thursday, over 15 venues all up and down South Broadway such as HQ, The Skylark Lounge, Illegal Pete’s and Hi-Dive on Friday and Saturday and at homes throughout the Baker neighborhood on Sunday. It’s an impressive, almost daunting amount of music to fit into just four days, a true showcase for Denver’s music and arts scenes in all their glory. Organized by local artists for local artists, there is a purity to the festival, the passion and heart behind it palpable since it’s announcement back in February.
Given the sheer amount of music set to be packed into this weekend, Blucifer organizers have told attendees to come in with an open mind, to not get too attached, embrace the idea discovery. These venues are small, fill up quickly. If you are simply trying to chase your favorite artists that you know already, there’s a chance you might get shut out. Instead, think of the festival as a chance to find your new favorite local artists while also trying to see the artists you already know. There are so many incredible things happening on South Broadway these coming days and anywhere you end up is sure to overflow with music and art and community. We at Denver Dive will be bouncing all over South Broadway, a plan in mind but fully ready to roll with whatever comes. Here’s where we’ll be bouncing between.
Thursday, July 23rd
If you were lucky enough to grab DIY tickets before they sold out here’s some sets you should make sure you don’t miss:
7th Circle Collective (92935 W 7th Ave, Denver, CO 80204):
Gartener at 8pm and A Place for Owls at 11pm
Ante Up (2130 S Platte River Dr, Denver, CO 80223):
Nautiloid at 8pm, The Photo Atlas at 10pm and Love Gang at 11pm
D3 Arts (3632 Morrison Rd, Denver, CO 80219):
shwarma at 8pm and Suprise Soup at 11pm
D3 Arts 2 (3615 Morrison Rd, Denver, CO 80219):
Bitstream Bleed at 9:15pm and GUNK! at 11:15pm
Squirm Gallery (3553 Brighton Blvd, Denver, CO 80216):
“Horse Girl” at 9pm and Sonic Chick at 10pm
Friday, July 24th
Wax Trax Broadway Bazaar
We’ll be kicking things off at Wax Trax Broadway Bazaar, the beloved record store that originated on 13th but opened a sister location on South Broadway last year. Featuring sets from local indie-rockers The CD’s at 5pm, Cowpunk visionaries White Rose Motor Oil at 6pm and the dancey-goth-pop duo Pleasure Prince at 7pm, we feel starting the weekend off with some early sets while surrounded by Wax Trax’s legendary record collection just feels right.
Address: 200 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
Illegal Pete’s
With all the dancing we are planning to do, we know we’re gonna need something good to eat to keep us moving. As such, we’re going to be hanging out at Illegal Pete’s for some tacos and some good music. The full Friday lineup includes Pepe Cetina at 6pm, My’Stroe at 7pm, Lady Los at 8pm and DVNEHPPY at 9pm. The huge patio is a perfect place to stop in for a bite and some tunes, making sure you’re ready for the night unfolding ahead. Pro tip: Illegal Pete’s now has an app you can download for deals, free meals, merch and more. You can check it out here.
Address: 270 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
Bar 404
Bar 404 is a damn near perfect dive bar/venue combo. With a bar/restaurant on one side and a venue/patio on the other, Bar 404 has built a reputation for kicking off local musicians’ careers and hosting local favorites simultaneously. Bar 404 seems ready to uphold this reputation this weekend with a Friday lineup that includes Corsicana at 7pm, Nicki Walters at 8pm, blankslate at 11pm with Frail Talk wrapping things up at midnight and much more in between. A great place to search for your next favorite.
Address: 404 North Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
Hi-Dive
No South Broadway festival would be complete without beloved punk venue Hi-Dive. It’s one of the greatest venues in the city, raw and real but never uninviting, making it a perfect addition for Blucifer’s First Rodeo. The absolutely stacked Friday lineup includes Bluebook at 8pm, Wheelchair Sports Camp at 9pm and Spells at 11pm among many others. Hi-Dive is rather notorious for boasting a solid line to get in during festivals so try to get there early lest you get shut out.
Address: 7 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80223
The Skylark Lounge
One of the most storied venues on South Broadway, The Skylark Lounge holds a special place in the hearts of all Denver local music enthusiasts. With a bar down below that features famously strong cocktails and usually features someone spinning vinyls in the corner, the upstairs venue portion of the space is where we’ll be spending most of our time. The Friday lineup is unsurprisingly stacked with Barbara at 9pm, Pink Lady Monster at 11pm and girl-punk masters Cheap Perfume closing things out at midnight.
Address: 140 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
HQ
Potentially the most spacious venue on South Broadway, Friday night at HQ boasts some of the best cumbia bands in the city in the form of Los Mocochetes at 11pm and Ritmo Cascabel at midnight among many other bands playing throughout the day. The ample room allows you space to get the fuck down, a perfect place to end the night moving.
Address: 60 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
Saturday, July 25th
Adrift Tiki Bar
Adrift Tiki Bar will serve as a welcome oasis this Saturday, a refreshing stop to cool down in the 100 degree heat. We’re planning on starting our night there as the restaurant will host such local psych rock favorites as Wave Decay at 6pm, Tarantula Bill at 8pm and Sour Magic at 9pm to name a few. It’s a relatively new space on the scene and should serve as a happy change of pace from all the beautifully sweaty dive bars you’ll be frequenting all weekend.
Address: 218 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
Bar 404
We will be returning to Bar 404 on Saturday which features a hell of a line up including Red Milk at 9pm, Plastic Mystic at 10pm and local favorites RUGBURN at 11pm with high flying rock group MF RUCKUS closing things out at midnight.
Chaos Bloom
Chaos Bloom is a bit of an outlier compared to the rest of the venues. Billed as Denver’s foremost improv club, Blucifer’s First Rodeo will be using the space for some more intimate singer-songwriter sets from Derek Dames Ohlz at 8pm and Sophia Eliana at 9pm as well as many others. A perfect venue to hit if you’re looking to slow it down a bit.
Address: 70 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
Illegal Pete’s
We’re planning to hit Pete’s once again on Saturday for music and food and time out on the patio. The Saturday lineup features The White Moms at 7pm and iies. — one of the city’s best hip-hop projects — at 8pm. If you plan on visiting, don’t forget about the app which may help you skip what are sure to be some pretty huge lines and save a little money.
Import Mechanics
Auto repair shop Import Mechanics has graciously allowed Blucifer’s First Rodeo to use their space normally reserved for fixing cars for some great sets on the heavier side. Highlights include Cobranoid at 8pm and Night Fishing at 11pm. Go get some auto advice and head bang with abandon, just be careful not to hit your head on any equipment.
Address: 235 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
The Skylark Lounge
One can never visit The Skylark just once. It really gets its claws in you, keeps you coming back. The Saturday lineup is wild with sets from sunstoney (who recently received an endorsement from SZA) at 9pm, Fruta Brutal at 10pm, The Crooked Rugs at 11pm and shadow work closing things out at midnight, among many others.
HQ
It’s going to hard to leave HQ on Saturday. The lineup is just one heavy hitter after the other. Featuring sets from Moonlight Bloom at 6pm, Shady Oaks at 7pm, Los Toms at 8pm, Mystee at 9pm, Bitchflower at 10pm, Tiny Tomboy at 11pm, Horse Bitch at midnight and Neoma ending things at 1am amidst some other incredible acts, if you can get in, you might just want to post up there for the night.
Hi-Dive
As is the case with The Skylark, one never stays away from the Hi-Dive for too long after first visiting. Saturday features sets from Fresh Fruit! at 6pm, In Plain Air at 7pm, Dry Ice at 10pm and Julian St. Nightmare at 11pm, among others.
The L
The L is a cocktail bar located right in the heart of South Broadway. With specialty cocktails and a dark but inviting vibe, the space will serve as a perfect reprieve from the heat and boasts an absolutely killer Saturday lineup with an 8pm set from Dollpile, Blackberry Crush at 10pm, moonpool at 11pm and more.
Address: 46 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
Ritual Tattoo Gallery
If you’ve spent a night out on South Broadway in the last year or so, you’ve seen Denver local death metal wizards Insipidus tearing the street apart in front of Ritual Tattoo Gallery. The festival keeps the band’s sidewalk residency going as they’ll hit the streets right at 8pm. Don’t miss it. They are something to behold.
Address: 84 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
Sunday, July 26th
If you got a ticket to the final day hosted at homes throughout the Baker neighborhood, keep your eyes open for announcements as set locations and times are being kept fully under wraps until the day of. Some bands you should look out for are as follows:
Clementine Was Right
Caspar Milquetoast
BRŪHA
Big Signal
Cactus Cat
Colfax Speed Queen
DOGTAGS
Don Chicarrón
Jade Oracle
Legs
Liquid Chicken
Spitting Image
Still Runnin
The Mañanas
West Hues
One last reminder: It will be impossible to catch every artist at every venue. Open yourself to discovery, be willing to try out some artists you’ve never heard of before and you will walk away with so many new favorite artists. This is what Blucifer’s First Rodeo is all about.
Visit here to see the full Blucifer’s First Rodeo schedule.
If you feel like donating to ensure that every artist is compensated correctly, consider donating to local music nonprofit Holy Fool here!
Happy Blucifer everyone! We’re so excited to see you there.
