Mexican industrial duo Hocico is just one of the groups coming to Denver this weekend for the gothic/industrial centered Vendetta Festival.
Industrial music lives in the fringe here in the U.S., but it remains a popular force in Europe — its birthplace.
Denver’s gothic-industrial community is quiet but strong, thriving in the underground. One of the few well-publicized manifestations of Denver’s gothic-industrial scene is this weekend’s , a three-day event that features local and international artists.
“The idea came from the WGT (), an annual European gothic/industrial festival,” said organizer Dave Leach, who goes by the name Dave Vendetta. “This year’s pre-sales have exceeded last year’s total attendance, and many of (the fans) are coming from all over the country, proving that Denver is the perfect place to host this festival — close to the center of the country with easy access for fans and artists.”
The Vendetta Festival plays tonight at the Hi-Dive, Saturday at Bar Standard and Sunday at the Exdo Event Center; itap named after the Baker District record store of the same name, which Leach closed in December. Its record label (yes, of the same name) still lives on.
“Vendetta Music focuses on finding new, progressive industrial bands as well as licensing acts from Europe,” Leach said. “Vendetta has three new CD releases out this week, and all of the acts are performing at the Vendetta Festival: W.A.S.T.E, Mono Amine and the People’s Republic of Europe.”
Leach is confident that Denver can support his festival.
“There are four club nights in Denver that are dedicated to the gothic and industrial scene,” he said. “In addition, OneSkinnyDJ and I run a goth/industrial night at Tracks on the second Friday of each month called Deathwish, with an average attendance of 350-plus. In addition to Vendetta Music, there are several other labels based in Denver: Section 44, Backwards Records, Erisian Records and Black Crown.”
Just a few of the better-known artists playing this weekend’s festival:
“This duo from Mexico has been releasing hard-hitting industrial/(electronic body music) since 1993,” Leach said.
“Black metal/industrial hybrid from California on the Metropolis Records label.”
“Dark/neo-folk band from Germany with a huge cult following.”
“Signed to Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacle label. Members of the band are pioneers in the Denver/gothic-Americana sound.”
Perhaps the best-known industrial artist in America is Trent Reznor, the recently retired frontman of Nine Inch Nails. But industrial isn’t dying with Reznor’s hiatus, Leach said.
“Trent released some great music and will go down in industrial history,” he said, “but with pioneers like Skinny Puppy, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Laibach, Einsturzende Neubauten and Front Line Assembly still going strong, I’m sure industrial music will survive … on the fringe.”
Here is more of our interview with Leach:
Question: The Vendetta Festival is named after your old Baker District record store. What made you close down in December?
Answer: The economy definitely had an impact on our bottom line last year, but I found my time consumed with running the store. I’d spend my day at the store and go home and work on the computer all night. I started the Vendetta Music record label in 2007 and had no quality time to devote to the bands on the label.
Q: The Vendetta label grew out of the community but lives on now. What does your label specialize in now?
A: (In addition to W.A.S.T.E, Mono Amine and The People’s Republic of Europe), some of the releases scheduled this fall include a continuous mix CD by DJ Plastic Disease, Revolution State from Colorado Springs, a digital-only release from Denver’s own Necrotek, and newly signed IKON, the legendary post-punk/gothic band from Australia.
Q: Was Denver’s scene not strong enough to support your record store?
A: The goal of the store was to offer hard-to-find and rare CDs, vinyl, T-shirts and hard-to-find items. With the popularity of online retailers and digital download sites, the rare items became more accessible via the Internet.
Q: And why do you think industrial music is still on the fringes?
A: Industrial has inserted itself into mainstream for years now, and with Nine Inch Nails playing to stadium crowds, the music has often been the forefront for major movie soundtrack releases … so it may be simply because of the stigma of the fans and listeners — because “it’s not cool.” Popularity contests are huge in the country — and that may explain why industrial is so huge in Europe. They don’t subscribe to labels or status as much. Also, the lack of support or inclusion into the media with very few major media outlets playing the music.
Q: Do you prefer it that way?
A: I don’t subscribe to any status of being part of the mainstream, hence Vendetta Music’s tagline for the past 12 years “Polluting the Mainstream.”
Tickets to the Vendetta Festival are $10 for Friday, $15 for Saturday or $40 for Sunday. A $50 three-day pass is also available. Tickets, schedules and information: vendetta-music.com.
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Ricardo Baca is the founder and co-editor of and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post. He is also the executive director of the , Colorado’s premier indie music festival. Follow his whimsies at , his live music habit at and his iTunes addictions at .
