A small club with a crowded floor of moshers, headbangers and enthusiastic nodders with both hands stuffed into front pockets. Guitar amps blasting three-chord magic from the best band you've never heard of.
This is the scene organizers of the first-ever 314 Punk Weekend are conjuring this weekend. The celebration of all things St. Louis and punk begins Friday night at the Sinkhole on South Broadway and moves to Platypus on Manchester Road on Saturday and Sunday. All 20 bands performing fall somewhere within the alternative rock umbrella, and all hail from the St. Louis area.
The festival is the latest offshoot of 314 Punk, an Instagram page dedicated to spreading the word about local shows. The account’s creator, Wes Hoffman, has been involved in the St. Louis punk scene for over 20 years. A musician himself, lending guitar and vocals for his project Wes Hoffman and Friends, he wanted to provide an easy entry point for punk music fans and a way to amplify fellow artists.
“The main idea behind [the account] was just to pull what everybody in the St. Louis punk scene was doing together and have it in one centralized place where people could go and see what was happening,” Hoffman said. “I feel like social media is very accessible, and it was an easier way to just say, hey, if you want to know about anything punk, ska, emo, a little bit of hardcore, it’s all right here and we’ll share all of it.”
Previous endeavors from 314 Punk include a podcast, a merch line and “Tough Scene, Tough City,” a compilation album showcasing local artists. (A second volume is currently available for pre-order.)
Hoffman said people locally have been asking him to organize a multiday festival for a few years, but he was initially hesitant. After he performed at small festivals in other cities, the logistics began to seem more feasible than he initially thought. He reached out to management at the Sinkhole and Platypus, two hubs in the local alternative music scene. They were enthusiastically on board.
While creating the weekend lineup, Hoffman said he was able to use personal connections he has formed over the years — bands he had performed with before, musical peers and friends. The final schedule is loosely structured around different subgenre themes, giving each night a distinctive sound palette.
“On the first night we’re going a hardcore night, and it’s all heavy music. Then on punk night, we have some pop-punk bands and some straightforward punk bands, and the last night we have emo and post-hardcore,” he said. “We’re finding bands that fit together but also have different sounds. I wanted there to be a little bit of variety within the genres that we’re doing.”
For the Winks, scheduled to perform Saturday, 314 Punk Weekend marks the band’s first appearance at a multiday festival. Dillon Dunnagan, the band’s vocalist and guitarist, said the Winks’ music often gets grouped into the punk category, but the band draws from a variety of rock influences, including pop punk, power pop, doo-wop, radio rock and grunge. He listed Green Day, the Replacements, the Beatles and Eddie Money as influences and said his band cannot be classified as just one thing.
According to percussionist and backup vocalist Alex Ward, the Winks’ sound can vary heavily based upon the individual song, with each track on the 2023 album Green Eyes taking on a unique energy. He said the band is open to whatever artist or genre comparisons listeners might make.
Both said that they are excited to perform at 314 Punk Weekend alongside previous stagemates and old friends, and that they admire the flexibility and creativity on display in the St. Louis scene. The Winks are currently recording new material and planning spring shows.
Young Animals, a quintet performing on Sunday’s emo night — which vocalist Olive Schulte curated the lineup for — also exists on the margins of the punk genre. The band’s 2018 album “Disposition” and recent releases “BBQ Dads” and “Scout” have an experimental edge, with layered guitars over complex math rock rhythms. They recently finished recording a new record.
The band describes its sound as a combination of Midwest emo and math rock.
“I always tell people it's like jazz, but more emo and with more rock elements put in,” said Schulte.
The members agreed that the St. Louis music scene has been supportive, though it has still been challenging to gain exposure.
“It’s tough, but we have fun with it still,” said guitarist Quinn Briceño.
“Honestly, I think the best thing we can do for that community is to convince people to start more bands,” said Young Animals percussionist Joe Zempel. “I feel like the more bands that are out there, the more empathy there will be towards throwing a show and the effort that goes into that.”
“I think some people just don't know that there's a scene out there,” said Shulte. “They just don't know where to start looking. Getting the word out there is the most important thing.” They hope that 314 Punk Weekend will provide a platform to introduce audiences to more local artists and get more people involved.
With five to six bands scheduled to perform each night of 314 Punk Weekend, Hoffman said that he hopes that attendees coming to see one act can discover more local favorites in the process.
Hoffman attributed much of the interest in the local punk scene and his new festival to the genre’s multigenerational appeal. At a typical show, he said it’s not uncommon to see older scene veterans in attendance alongside millennial and Generation X faithfuls, Gen Z newcomers and even children who tag along with their parents.
“I feel like St. Louis music — especially punk music — really goes in waves, and right now we’re definitely going through a thriving period,” he said. “There’s a lot of bands, there’s a lot of excitement, and there’s a lot of people coming out to shows.”
Weekend passes and tickets for Saturday’s shows have already sold out. However, as of publication time, single-night tickets for Friday and Sunday are still available for $10 in advance or $15 at the door. In the future, Hoffman said he would love to make 314 Punk Weekend a recurring event, potentially hosting out-of-town bands or recruiting bigger names to headline the festival.
314 Punk Weekend lineup
Friday at the Sinkhole (7423 S. Broadway): Direct Measure, the Disappeared, Better Days, Fortunate Son, Maladjust
Saturday at Platypus (4501 Manchester Ave.): Wes Hoffman and Friends, Modern Angst, the Chandelier Swing, Fight Back Mountain, the Winks, the Stars Go Out, Stinkbomb, NoPoint
Sunday at Platypus: Young Animals, Inches from Glory, Interpersonal, Wise Disguise, Wayside, Chainstay, Silver Material, Dialogue
