James Medina

Formed in 2005 by a group of classmates in Putney, England, the xx came to the attention of wide audiences with its 2009, self-produced and self-titled debut album. Bringing together a moody, post-punk musicianship with hip-hop beats and downtemp sensibilities, the xx struck a chord with a sound that recalls acts like Portishead and New Order. The act's 2012 follow-up album, Coexist, revealed the increasing influence of the dance music the outfit's members heard in U.K. clubs and elsewhere.

See also:
- Tonight: The xx at the Fillmore Auditorium, 6/3/13
- Jamie Smith of the xx on mixing oil and water and how it applies to his London band
- Own a piece of, ahem, music history. Buy xx's lighting gear

Eric Gruneisen

Soundgarden on stage at 1STBANK Center last night. Slide show: Soundgarden and fans at the 1STBANK Center

SOUNDGARDEN @ 1STBANK CENTER | 5/28/13
Five songs into its set last night at 1STBANK Center, with the stage bathed in emerald light and Chris Cornell appearing sans guitar for the first time in the set, Soundgarden performed "Outshined," one of its first radio hits. Cornell put his mic toward the crowd during the choruses, and the crowd vigorously carried the melody. At the end, Cornell complimented the crowd and flashed a knowing smile like he knew the show was off to a great start.

See also:
- Slide show: Soundgarden and fans at the 1STBANK Center
- Soundgarden's Ben Shepherd recalls being with Nirvana when it played 23 Parish
- Review: Soundgarden at Red Rocks, 7/18/11

Tom Murphy

Mouse on Mars on stage at the Summit Music Hall in Denver.

As visuals flashed, streamed, scrolled, blinked, increased in luminosity and otherwise conspired to reflect the jittery, glitchy, sometimes manic and always dynamic flow of sounds being produced by Mouse on Mars, Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner stood behind a bank of synths and other devices manipulating things. The two injected a visceral quality into the music with with their focused engagement in the constantly shifting soundscape. Tomas seemed the most physically active, occasionally taking off his glasses during certain parts of the set, as he moved with the beats as much as the people dancing in the crowd.

See also:
- Jan St. Werner of Mouse on Mars on how there's no rules for behaving to his music
- Blasting off with Jan St. Werner of Mouse on Mars
- Ethan Converse of Flashlights on the bands early acclaim

Aaron Thackeray

Tomorrow night at Beauty Bar, So What! The Club celebrates its twentieth year of keeping Denver funky. Earlier this week, we shared some of the fliers from the early days when the night first got going at City Spirit on through its move to various other locales, including 9th Avenue West and Rock Island. Today, occasional Backbeat contributor Shawn White (aka DJ Big Styles) shares some of his favorite memories from So What!, including the time the So What! crowd was enlisted to appear in a commercial for Replay Jeans to a few amusing celebrities encounters involving Massive Attack and Velvet Revolver.

See also:
- So What! The club turns twenty this Saturday
- Some more fliers from the So What! The Club
- Photos: So What at Beauty Bar

Aaron Thackeray

So What is Denver's longest running club night. While there's been a few hiatuses here and there over the years as the night transitioned from venue to venue, for the most part, So What has been an ongoing concern for twenty years. Twenty years! On the surface, that might not sound like that admirable a feat, but in the world of nightlife, twenty years is a lifetime -- several lifetimes, if you want to know the truth.

See also:
- So What! The club turns twenty this Saturday
- Photos: So What at Beauty Bar
- Peter Black on growing up around music, So What! and the importance of community

So What! The Club turns twenty this Saturday.

Twenty years ago this Saturday night in the basement of City Spirit on 14th and Blake, DJ K-Nee hosted the very first edition of So What! with DJ L7-Square. Little did K-Nee know back then that So What! would not only go on to become Denver's longest running club night, but that he and Big Styles (aka DJ Style N. Fashion), who became an official So What! resident in 1994, would end up inspiring and influencing other DJs and nights that followed.

See also:
- Photos: So What at Beauty Bar
- Peter Black on growing up around music, So What! and the importance of community
- Michael Trundle reflects on ten years of Lipgloss

Garbage was one of the most popular and arguably one of the best bands out of the second wave of early '90s alt rock. Benefitting from the production skills of drummer and renowned producer Butch Vig (Nevermind) and Steve Marker, Garbage was able to put out a body of work very early on that showcased an impressive level of inventiveness in the sculpting of sound and songwriting experiments done in Smart Studios. It also didn't hurt that former Angelfish singer Shirley Manson was one of the unexpectedly charismatic and powerful singers of that period. The band's 1995 debut album made them stars with a string of hits.

See also:
- Garbage at the Ogden Theatre, 10/6/12
- The ten best concerts this weekend: October 5-7

Aaron Thackeray

Rise Against kicks off a two-night stand tonight at the Fillmore with Gaslight Anthem and Hot Water Music.

It's officially fall now, according to the calendar -- and, well, the thermometer -- but that doesn't mean things have cooled down here in the Mile High City. While most of the shows have moved indoors, there's still plenty to choose from, including Rise Against at the Fillmore tonight and tomorrow night and SWANS at the Gothic to AWOLNATION at the Summit and Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Pepsi Center later this week. Keep reading for a full rundown of the ten best concerts this week.

Tom Murphy

It comes as a bit of a shock when people slam into you for the first time after a dozen songs. That's exactly what happened last night when My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult dialed up "After the Flesh." From the start of the sample and the beat, everyone recognized the song immediately and reacted with crazed abandon. It was the only time in the show when things got a little gnarly down front. That track is one of the most aggressive tracks in the act's repertoire, so that's probably why.

See also:
- Groovie Mann of Thrill Kill Kult on the act's emotionally charged live shows
- Review: My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult at Ogden Theatre, 7/22/10

Gary Isaacs

DeVotchKa performs with the Colorado Symphony this Thursday, September 21 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Welcome to another splendid week of music in the Mile High City. As usual, there are plenty of shows to choose from this week, from Kreator and Accept at the Gothic to DeVotchKa and the Airborne Toxic Event at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony, and we've got them all listed in our comprehensive concert calendar. Keep reading to see which five shows we think are the most worthy of your time this week.

See also:
- Amanda Palmer on being criticized for enlisting fans to perform, paying them in beers
- DeVotchKa's Nick Urata on the band's cinematic approach to songwriting
- The members of DeVotchKa found success by following their own muse
- Q&A with Frank Turner