UMS crowd celebrating another year. (Photo Credit: Aly McClaran)

FRIDAY

Another year, another UMS. The boutique festival has become one of the most popular festivals in the country. The first day of UMS always gives a chance to get a feel for the layout of the fest, which this year included a new outdor stage that was bussin’ all weekend. Our day started with a DJ set by the Taking Back Monday crew at Hi-Dive that gave us all the emo vibes and dont think we didnt notice the frozen margaritas at Hi-Dive now.

Rubio giving us all the feels. (Photo Credit: Aly McClaran)

Friday highlights included riveting sets from Pink Fuzz, Beach Fossils, Ritmo Cascabel and Native Daughters. A small preview of what would become a great weekend of live music. Discovery has always been a huge part of this festival and some newbies that we came across included amazing sets by Rubio, Vacations and late night perfromances from Grace Divine.

SATURDAY

Kayla Marque always shining. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Between the breaded ends of Friday and Sunday we find the sweaty sandwich meat of UMS Day Two.

Don Chicharrón’s Showcase Stage set only added to the already increasing temperature, the hot licks from their own psychedelic take on Peruvian cumbia - fittingly known as chicha - lighting up the crowd. If you missed the early afternoon dance party, you’ll have the chance to catch them again August 30 at the legendary Mercury Cafe for the release of their forthcoming album, Sísifo.

Don Chicharon with the cumbia vibes. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

“Emo Honky Tonk, sometimes Celtic,” is how Colorado-based Horse Bitch describe themselves. And just like dipping french fries in your Frosty, it’s an unexpected mish-mash of styles that somehow come together to taste great together. You wouldn’t know they’d closed down the Hi Dive less than 14 hours before, with their high-energy antics leading the Underground Stage audience in rousing chants of “Yo-ho, it’s a pirate’s life”, shaking their booty the whole time. Yum!

Reagan for President, Rad Dudes always givinf us the unexpected. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Who the fuck are Rad Dudes anyway? We may never truly know, but the UMS variety-show rotation has become a staple for something different each year. For this iteration, HQ was treated to soaring synthwave vocals with a retro-presidential flare, as 3 of the 4 performers donned masks of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Tricky Dick Nixon himself. And wherever political proclivities may lead us this November, it’s good to know we can come together to Make Dudes Rad Again every July.

Los Mocochetes preaching the good word. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

A Los Mocochetes performance is less spectator sport than plugging into a familial spiritual network - and once you’re in, just try to not move your feet. The hometown Xicano-funk staples have made their mark blending hip-hop, cumbia, and rock in a truly infectious and celebratory way. Their Showcase Stage performance had attendees moving nonstop, amplifying their socially conscious messages of revolution and rebirth far beyond the boundaries of Broadway - a showcase itself of what it means to take fun seriously.

Is ‘new classic rock’ a thing? If so, Denver’s French Cuffs would likely be a poster child for it. Their high-energy Hi Dive set combined equal parts ‘90s alternative and Pat Benetar-esque husky vocals, mixed with the fuzzed out riffage that has made the Mile High City’s stoner-rock scene the envy of more doobie-ous competitors.

The haunting percussive power of Kiltro has emerged as an undeniably force to be reckoned with - but that didn’t stop the hundreds of onlookers from trying to and catching the group’s Showcase Stage wave. Self-styled “zapatos-gaze,” the group is truly an exercise in expertise: The skillful duo of drummers/aux-percussionists paved a foundation for intricately layered arrangements that hung as sonic art in the air, somehow both atmospheric and complex while remaining accessible to newcomers. A guest appearance by local legend Wes Watkins was the cherry on top of this already stacked Saturday sundae.

Walking up to Deeper’s Underground Stage performance, you’d be forgiven if you said, “Holy new wave, is Robert Smith fronting the Talking Heads?” Spoiler: He’s not, but the angular brutalist guitar-chitecture from the Chicago four piece might leave you rubbing your noggin from all the nodding. If you’re looking for something to soothe the Byrne, this just might be the Cure.

Speaking of Motör-headbanging, Denver speed-doom monsters Cobranoid gave Bar 404 the thrashing heshers crave as part of the venue’s evening-long metal block. The V8-powered trio effortlessly turns lemons into Lemmy-aide,reminiscent of early White Zombie and other supercharged Palm Desert rock; this is what plays in your head when tear-assing down 25 in a ‘69 Ford Mustang. Bring your earplugs, kids - it’s fucking LOUD.

On the opposite end of the sonic spectrum lies Pink Ranger. The synthy Denver dreampop-rock outfit drenched Sportique in songs that would swell, meander, hang in the air and occasionally explode, causing the audience to scoot their feet along the whole time. For fans of Moog, anime, and bubblegum.

And finally: In an a-peel to reason, The GO-GO Rillas played Chiquita-approved, simian-themed surf rock in monkey costumes that the crowd went absolutely bananas for. Very ape - and very nice.

SUNDAY

May Be Fern landed on our radar and thats a good thing. (Photo Credit: Juli Yanai)

After a whirlwind two days, UMS put on its closing act on day three. After a long and sweaty weekend, showgoers remained troopers to see their favorite local acts and explore surprises from bands traveling into town to share the magic. Strutting around with cameras, the Ultra5280 team did not miss out on any of the excitement and have returned with our final report of the 2024 UMS weekend.

Starting off, we made our way to the UMS Next Gen Underground party from 2-4 p.m., hosted at the Oasis stage and curated by local music non-profit Youth on Record, featuring sets from Colorado’s finest up and coming young artists. The party was a hot spot with the tagline, “These artists are about to blow up, tell your friends about ‘em before they were famous.” And the sets did not disappoint, with acts that gave audiences a gaze into the future of the growing Denver music scene.

Erin Stereo on the 1's and 2's (Photo Credit: Juli Yanai)

Immediately following and also at the Oasis stage was Erin Stereo, bringing in the heat with house music that had the crowd shuffling like it wasn’t 90 degree weather. Mixing effortlessly, she took the crowd through a smooth set and they matched her energy in equal parts style and rhythmic abilities.

After letting loose at the Oasis Stage, Indie artist Josh Fudge was next on the list. Performing at the Underground stage, the 19-year-old Oklahoma City-born singer took the audience through his colorful indie pop universe. Armed with a multicolored guitar and an outfit as bright as his cheerful personality, Fudge brought joy to the crowd with his enthusiastic performance and genuine banter.

Reyna Tropical. (Photo Credit: Aly McClaran)

One of our favorite sets came at the expense of Reyna Tropical whose afternnon performance set off the vibes for us going into the late afternoon/night portion.

And with a pep in our step, we trotted our way to the main stage to hangout for a bit before watching Mareux, the birth child of LA based musician and producer, Aryan Ashtiani. The cool, moody set left the audience in a trance. Their performance was like slipping into a subtle synth-pop world, sprinkled with r&b influence.

Once we’d soaked up enough sun for five summer’s worth, we stepped into the Skylark lounge to cool off and watch Denver Queer funk rock band, May Be Fern. And we may have been physically cool, but they packed on the heat with a zingy performance and powerful vocals. Each member complemented one another, feeding off each other’s infectious energy and grooving with the audience. From playing originals from their latest release to stadium-worthy covers of songs like “Still Into You” by Paramore, the band may have sent us into a gay panic.

Amyl and The Sniffers bringing the raucous on the final day of UMS (Photo Credit: Juli Yanai)

As if that wasn’t enough, walking back to the Showcase Stage feeling a little wonderstruck, we threw ourselves into Melbourne-born band, Amyl and The Sniffers explosive set. From crowd surfing to moshing around, Amyl and The Sniffers put on a performance that sent the audience into a frenzy with their 70s punk rock inspired, bursting at the seams set. Watching vocalist Amy Taylor jump around the stage and get in the crowd’s face truly left us with a rush of excitement.

Still buzzing with energy and in a state of bewilderment, the team hopped down to HQ Denver to indulge in some much needed Wheelchair Sports Camp action. And in their signature playful style, the hip-hop and jazz fusion band (fronted by Kalyn Rose Heffernan) put on a funky show rich with political statements and fun quips that had the crowd moving the whole time.

Denver legends Wheelchair Sportscamp never disappoints. (Photo Credit: Juli Yanai)

All that dancing and show-hopping led to some serious food cravings, and we found ourselves mashing down on some tacos at Illegal Pete’s, another official UMS 2024 venue. Feeling replenished and ready to get back into the action, we strolled back to the Skylark Lounge and found ourselves taking in the dreamy indie sounds of Denver-based band, Barbara. Under the low lights, the crowd swayed slowly in the psychedelic atmosphere.

Dance Party at the main stage. (Photo Credit: Aly McClaran)

To finish out the night, our Ultra5280 team giddily walked down the street to Hi-Dive to squeeze in one last show from Native Daughters. Upon walking into the packed space the immediate sound of heavy drums reverberated through the walls and feeding off the band, the crowd was buzzing with energy. The rhythmic tension and full-bodied sound of Native Daughters was a perfect way to close out UMS with a heavy-hitting performance that satisfied al our music cravings.