About every dozen years or so since the 1980s, the creatures of the night come out to play. In the 80s and 90s, this came in the form of the goth and punk movements that swept the nation. In the 2000s we had the rise of the emos. And in 2024, it appears that a post-punk resurgence had allowed for the alternative community to rise once again in Colorado.

After having recently attended the annual Goth Prom in Denver, I realized that there is an incredibly strong, diverse, group that demands attention—the alternative community. From goths to gutter punks, fetishists to self-proclaimed freakazoids, and emos en masse, I witnessed an army of diversity that I believe fully reflects what both the state and lifestyle, are all about.

To celebrate this, each month a new article will be published that looks at a different element of this community. Local shops that exemplify the lifestyle, clubs, events that feature artists who proudly carry the torch for everything outside of the norm, and people who are key to the alt community will be featured.

Including today’s subject, AJ Ritual of Ritual Noize Entertainment.

Starting in 2016, Ritual Noize Entertainment was a venture born out of necessity. According to Ritual, “For years I used to DJ at nightclubs a lot, and there was a big lack of concerts going on here in Denver. All the really good artists that we love were just passing us by. And everyone kept hitting me up, asking, ‘Hey, can you find us a venue? Can you find us a promoter to help us with our show?’ But, I never could. But then I thought, ‘I can try it, I can get my feet wet.’”

Since then, he’s become the go-to when it comes to booking an alternative show in the Centennial State. By having worked with a mix of established darkwave artists like Sisters of Mercy and Aurelio Voltaire, along with newer acts like Vision Video and She Past Away, Ritual has spent the last eight years forging a reputation as a bridge between the old guard and the new.

“We do 40-50 concerts a year. But what’s happening today is we’re doing a lot more post-punk artists. Twin Tribes, She Past Away, Lebanon Hanover, all of these new post-punk goth-rock bands are bringing in a new generation of kids that are young. It’s crazy to be at a concert with one of these artists playing and I don’t know 80% of the people there because they’re all younger, and they’re all brand new.”

He states that though post-punk isn’t his favorite subgenre, he loves what it has done to help invigorate the scene. “It’s bringing the kids out and it gives us a chance to show them our stuff. [When it comes to] booking bands that are a little more industrial based with these artists … it works; we’re all cousins.” In fact, it was this thought process that saw Ritual book Vision Video to open for Voltaire at the 2024 Goth Prom.

Ritual made it clear during our discussion that though he books a lot of artists that fall under the umbrella of goth, the alternative community he loves is made up of so much more. “We just don’t like to put the alternative community in a box, and be like, ‘Oh, this is another goth show,’ or ‘Oh, this is another goth party.’ We really try and make it all-inclusive to all different types of genres of music, all different types of clothing, it’s all just ‘alternative.’ It’s punk, it’s goth, it’s emo, it’s fetish, it’s everything alternative.”

He also states that one of the keystones of the alt community is “being open-minded to something different.” And though inclusivity is a noble pursuit, Ritual says it’s also imperative to the future of the alt lifestyle. “[The reason we’re so inclusive] is about keeping it creative, not [to] one genre or one idea, and having it go stale.”

Due to how many colors there are in this alt-tapestry, Ritual also spent time talking about one of his other passions: fetishism in Colorado. “It fascinates me to see other people and their fetishes. Like, when we started doing fetish parties here in Denver, I didn’t expect it to get big. I was like, ‘Oh, let’s just do this one event and call it a day.’ But, something about Denver is, everybody has a fetish here; I don’t get it. And it’s so big, and it encompasses every type of fetish you can think of that comes to our events.”

This fascination has led Ritual to also book special, fetish-based events. “We’ve actually hired teachers that teach and train people on how to work on their fetishes in a safe way. So, it’s party, it’s fun, it’s entertainment, but it’s also definitely very educational community-based stuff.”

Since this is the first article to focus on the alternative world of Colorado, I closed the interview by asking where the best place was that someone should visit if they are new to the community and want to dip their toes into the pitch-black waters.

“I would definitely recommend ‘Dark Tuesdays’ at HQ. It happens every Tuesday night. It’s basically all the new and old goth/industrial, synth pop, new wave, and post-punk music. And it’s not one of those events where it’s super loud and there are so many lights and so much going on that you can’t really get to know anybody because it’s so loud. HQ is a great place to meet new people and just chill out. It’s actually a meeting place and a great place to start.”

And if you can’t get out to HQ on a Tuesday, Ritual Noize is bringing a couple of events to Denver in August that I’m sure will not only help satiate the curiosity of the uninitiated, but will also satisfy those who already can’t get enough of the nocturnal pulse. The first is “The Tower Tour 2024 Urban Heat” w/Gvllow & Delores Galore on August 8th at HQ. The second is “Wicked: A Dark Disney Party” at Tracks on August 9th.