Battle Pussy Wants You to Know They Are Not Cute — The Denver VOICE

By Joshua Abeyta

Editor’s Note: The following story is based on interviews with members of the band Battle Pussy. To protect the privacy and reputations of the artists involved, stage names have been used throughout this article, and some identifying details have been altered.

Band members Sledge, Shredz, The Juice, and Da Beet perform in masks and balaclavas when they rip the stage around town, including at the most recent No Kings rally in March, which drew more than 10,000 protesters to the Denver event.

When asked about their demands, the group was unequivocal: “Human rights. Just be a freaking human and take care of your fellow humans.”

The band is committed to protest music and has long since given up trying to please everyone.

“In 2016, we tried to appeal to everybody in the punk scene. We knew that we, as women, had to make a strong impact, but we also wanted to appeal. And as we’ve learned, as women, appealing to the patriarchy has just always been a lost cause. We really struggled with this idea of who we were and how serious we really were, and we were serious as a heart attack,” said Sledge, front-woman, lead vocalist, and guitarist.

Sledge met bassist and backing vocalist The Juice, when Sledge moved to Denver around 2014 and started a zombie escape room. The Juice was hired as one of the zombies, and the two became fast friends, quickly forming Battle Pussy as a political punk band to push back on President Donald Trump’s administration that was about to take power in 2016.

“It was crystal clear. We went to bed that night, and my kids were worried. This was the first election that they were old enough to kind of follow along and ask questions,” the Juice said. “I literally thought there’s no way that this would happen, and waking up in the morning and [my daughter’s] crying because she was scared. I’m like, I have to do something about this. So when [Sledge] created Battle Pussy, I had no second thought. I have to do something for a better country and a better future for my kids. I can’t just silently be upset.”

Within a year, they played their first show at Mutiny Information Cafe, an institution in the Denver music scene. At first, they relied on comedy, theater, and wild stage antics to get people’s attention. Their performances were also intended to lift the spirits of people facing an existential crisis brought on by the first Trump term.