Diva Cup sucks.
This tongue-in-cheek motto emblazoned on merch of the Boulder-based femme punk band named after a period product doesn’t fail to cause confusion, but the audacious quartet owns it.
“I remember one of our earliest shows, this 40ish-year-old gay man came up and was like, ‘I had roommates in college who swore by the DivaCup, what happened? Why does it suck? Why do we not like it?’” vocalist Polly Torian, 20, recalls. “We were like, ‘No, that’s our band, and we suck. It’s not that deep.’”
The sentiment is only becoming more and more ironic, as Torian, bassist Addy Harrison, guitarist Maxx Goodman and drummer Maggie Kempen kick down the door of convention with a thumb-in-the-eye ethos that’s refreshing and righteous.
Diva Cup took the CU and greater Boulder scene by the throat a little over a year ago after emerging from the college radio station’s basement — where Torian, Goodman and Kempen initially met as students — to light up the DIY campus circuit with their rowdy brand of no-frills rock ’n’ roll.
“We immediately had a house show that was booked, then we had to have a set and our name on the posters,” Goodman, 23, says. “That kickstarted us.”
Three chords and the truth
Coming up with a band name is one of the hardest things to figure out, but after narrowing a list of potential monikers, Diva Cup emerged victorious — even if not everyone was sold on it right away.
“Personally, I was like, ‘Diva Cup is cheesy. I don’t like this. It’s kind of corny. It’s not it,’” Kempen, 20, admits.
“I remember pushing real hard for Diva Cup,” Torian recalls.
“Yeah, I think Diva Cup is perfect for our whole vibe now,” Kempen adds. “I’ve had mostly women in their 40s and 50s come up to me and be like, ‘That name’s awesome.’ If I get no other validation from this band except for gorgeous women being like, ‘Your band name is sick,’ that’s all I want in my life and I could die happy.”
But the fiery four-piece is far from all flash and no substance. Inspired by the three-chord blueprint of bedrock bands like The Ramones and Black Flag, Diva Cup conjures up quick-hitting heaters with the fervor and fearlessness of ’90s Riot Grrrl queens Bikini Kill and feminist flagbearers Hole.
“It’s like, ‘They just play three chords and down strum, why should we do anything else?’” Torian says.
‘Millennial dudes … get over it’
SASSY, the group’s debut EP released in December via Boys Who Scissor Records, is loaded with setlist staples. Since first being introduced in living rooms and warehouses throughout Boulder, these eight tracks have become rallying cries of arrival as Diva Cup has graduated to more legit venues and bigger opening slots, like gigging with hometown heroes The Velveteers at Frisco’s 10 Mile Music Hall or kicking off the upcoming FoCoMX music festival in Fort Collins.
Songs like “Public Venmo Porn Girls” — referencing Republican politician and former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz’s alleged affinity for sex workers — and “Man with a Microphone” are searing political statements and proud middle fingers. The latter’s chorus of “Give us the microphone! We want the microphone!” suggests men should just shut up and let women make the important decisions for themselves.
“It’s hard as women in music to feel content with your playing ability. You always feel like people are doing more and it sometimes feels like you’re not held to the same standard,” Goodman says. “Punk is whatever. We can play what we want, and if it sounds good, it sounds good. It doesn’t need to be it, or the most technically savvy thing.”
And if it makes anyone uncomfortable, that’s on them, as Torian sees it.
“Millennial dudes everywhere are walking around with tattoos of the Black Flag logo — it’s like, ‘Get over it,’” the art student adds. “Just because punk is mostly played by angry men, doesn’t mean they’re better.”
Punk is inherently political, a place where fringe factions can find comfort in shared ideals and shouting in opposition. Given the rightward lurch of the federal government in recent months, Diva Cup is doing its part locally.
“With the current administration and everything going to shit all the time, for me, after the election, I had a moment of like, ‘Holy shit, we’re four women making music in spaces that might not be super-welcoming for us, but we’re building this awesome queer and femme community,’” Torian says.
“It’s so important that we don’t lose that,” she adds. “We’re still making music. It’s still awesome. It’s still fun. It’s still silly, but we’re also doing something important. It’s important to talk about things going on and try to create, as corny as it sounds, safe spaces where you can.”
The four members nod in agreement.
“If they don’t execute Diva Cup by firing squad,” Kempen says, “then we will hopefully make really good music for the next four years.”
ON THE BILL: Diva Cup with the Velveteers and Stereo Transmission. 8 p.m. Friday, April 11, 10 Mile Music Hall, 710 Main Street, Frisco. $30 | Diva Cup with Clementine and Jane Rhoads. 1 p.m. Saturday, April 12, Collective Vintage, 1228 West Elizabeth St., Fort Collins. Free