Denver band The Backlash brings high energy to New Mexico State Fair

The Backlash, an up-and-coming rock band from Denver, is set to play Soundwave New Mexico this weekend at the New Mexico State Fair. The band is fronted by singer Katie Overbey and is backed by Gibson Guitar, which helped boost her confidence as an artist.

The Backlash started during Overbey’s senior year in high school, when she got a band together and played Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2024. From there, Overbey moved to Denver, reassembled the band and began playing together.

“Bringing high-energy rock and roll music to the stage, The Backlash is an up-and-coming band out of Denver, with a powerful sound and a collection of songs that will have you wanting more,” according to the event’s promotional materials.

Overbey’s creative process for original music starts with a bare-bones acoustic outline that she brings to the band to see how it sounds. She forms the structure of the songs, and the band adds elements to build them out.

At shows, attendees can find mosh pits and people moving around to the music. The band plays an intro before Overbey comes on stage and screams at the audience, lifting the energy for the rest of the performance.

“They will be playing Soundwave New Mexico this weekend at the New Mexico State Fair,” the promotion said.

Overbey has a new single called “Liars” that the band performs at their shows. Overbey wrote the song and played nearly all of the instruments on it. When writing music, she connects it to her life and turns those experiences into songs.

The Backlash will play at the Chevron Pavilion at 3 p.m. Saturday.

As of writing, the band had not released any music, though some singles are expected later this year.