May Be Fern: The Three of Swords Tour Knighted in Colorado
Article and Photographs by Mckenna Kimose
Photography by May Be Fern EPK
Denver partied with May Be Fern on September 11th at Cervantes Other Side for the kick-off show on their Three of Swords tour. Made up of Madi Spillman, Hannah May, Kate Fern, and accompanied by drummer Ian Spillman, May Be Fern is bringing rock back to Denver in a major way. They played a selection of their originals as well as a handful of fan-favorite covers, including “Call Me” by Blondie.
I was first introduced to May Be Fern in a TikTok of legendary Denver drag artist Jessica L’Whor. Jessica was asked to recommend a local artist, and she named May Be Fern as her favorite band in Denver. It’s not hard to see why they resonate with Denver’s biggest drag star. Their performance was clearly inspired by the theatrics of drag, as well as the aesthetics and sounds of 1970’s rock and funk music. Their costumes were very intentional and balanced out by their barren stage design. Every element of their set was clearly thought through, and it all worked together to get the crowd amped up.
Despite keyboardist Hannah May playing the whole set while concussed and Madi Spillman holding it down on lead guitar with a torn ligament in her thumb, no part of the set suffered. Kate Fern took over lead vocals for this show to allow Hannah May, who usually splits leads with Kate, to focus on keys for the evening. Kate had the audience eating out of her palm the entire night. The set was exciting and playful from start to finish thanks to Kate’s powerful voice, Madi’s guitar, Hannah’s keys, and their shared dynamic stage presence.
Opening act Tart, a Denver local three-piece rock band, shined with their killer drums (more women on drums!) and their powerhouse lead vocalist. They had the audience screaming along with them for their whole set. Fruta Brutal brought a Latin-infused set that had the audience dancing. Both artists did an amazing job at getting the audience warmed up for the enigmatic ladies of May Be Fern.
May Be Fern is a force to be reckoned with in the Denver indie music scene, and this show proved their prowess at what they do. Their selections for their opening acts, their music, and their electric stage presence showed me that May Be Fern may be at the top of the world in Denver but they are only beginning their journey as a rock band. They are powerful and impossible to ignore and I can’t wait to see them when they’re the name on everyone’s lips.
