Whyte Fang in Denver, Colorado at Reelworks – October 12, 2023
This past week Alison Wonderland (Alex Sholler) brought her – not so – new side project, Whyte Fang to Denver. Just outside of the Rino Art District in downtown Denver sits a small warehouse amongst a mix of retail and restaurant establishments called Reelworks, known for hosting smaller/pop up shows such as Whyte Fang. Local duo IIVX and CloudNone opened up the night playing in the shadows alongside the setup that Alex would take place in.
Alison Wonderland’s side project, Whyte Fang has been a vision of Alex’s for quite some time now and she’s just recently launched it not long after releasing a record label, FMU Records. Whyte Fang has only been headlined a total of three times, with Denver being the third – not to include a major debut at Coachella, while pregnant. AW announced the Denver Whyte Fang set about a month and a half after announcing her 6th Red Rocks show that would take place on October, Friday the 13th.
Her stage set up consisted of three equally sided led boards that created a box where on the inside, her mix board sat atop a just short of chest high table and a space just behind it big enough for her to move comfortably in. On both sides of the box right along the back edge sat another led board that was longer than the sides to provide more visuals to the back wall of the stage. In front of the box were several light fixtures that sat along the edge of the stage and lights above on the ceiling mirroring that of below. The ceiling that towered over the crowd held several light and laser fixtures that would flash at carefully selected times throughout the set. Alex was dressed in a tracksuit with various shapes and Whyte Fang logos scattered throughout it, which glowed a neon blue when the right light hit it. On her hands and a quarter of a way up her arms she wore neon green fishnet gloves, the same colored braids throughout her hair and the same neon toned X right in the middle of her forehead just above the gap between her eyebrows with glowing eyeliner that complimented her entire ensemble.
Whyte Fang opened up with “Atlantis” and followed up with all tracks off her first album, Genesis. Fans went crazy when she played her Lana Del Rey remix of “Kiss Me Hard Before You Go Summertime Sadness”, many of which have anticipated hearing it live. Fans were spewed throughout the venue as attendees crowded the main floor, up along the edge of both sides of the stairs leading up to the top balcony where there was barely a gap in sight. Alex finished up her set, saying goodbye but only for this time before asking to play one more song, which of course the crowd encouraged. After the set was finished Alex thanked her fans and had to pause in the middle due to the volume of the fans applause. Once the commotion let up a bit she continued to speak into the microphone and expressed such gratitude for being able to be there and play her songs for them and reminded her fans that she wouldn’t be able to do so without them before exiting the box and heading backstage to leave the venue.
Alex exited the venue from the side door and got right into a white van that would take her and her team to their destination for the night. Fans surrounded the vehicle as they exited the building and realized what was happening, though being respectful and providing ample space so that the driver could easily depart where they were idle. As the van pulled away, Wonderfangs (as her fans are known as) held up their hands shaped into hearts, waved and yelled their admiration to the artist as Alex sat inside and recorded it all from her phone, which was later posted on her Instagram story. Her post stated that she still felt the love from Denver as she left for the night, with excitement and anticipation for the next days Alison Wonderland set at Red Rocks.
Alex sold out both her Whyte Fang set and her Red Rocks show, making this year her sixth sold out Red Rocks show of her career. Her team and her fans eagerly await for the 2024 show and what else Alex might do in the time between now and then.
