Photo of Warheadd by Colin Williams and Erica Vining.
This St Louis venue has more red flags than your last Tinder date, and Friday we fully embraced every single one of them. Red Flag off Locust boasts a compound-like exterior, with an interior featuring shipping container bars, VIP areas, and merch booths. There was no bad seat in the house as they welcomed four local rock bands, encouraging fans to come out and support their hometown acts. With a reasonable entry ticket price of $12, Red Flag offers a full bar and upstairs balcony area (21+), and this local show welcomed those of all ages with a minor surcharge of $3. The venue hosts a variety of events, from national and local touring bands, to stage art performances. A list of all scheduled events can be found online at redflagstl.com.
St Louis based band Natural High opened the show on a high note, with high energy from the entire band. Frontman Joe showcased an impressive range, backed by Cameron on drums, Ceaser on guitar, and bassist Abby rounding them out. Natural High offered bits of Nirvana, Deftones, and Rage Against the Machine—definitely a band to keep on your radar.
Next up we had local band Warheadd. One of the most technically sound bands of the night, Warheadd came out heavy, getting a tired crowd immediately to the rail. Inspired by bands like Pantera, Slayer, and Black Label Society, Warheadd offered a mixture of covers and originals, making each song unique to their style. Their self-titled album was released in November and can be streamed on all major platforms. If thrash metal is your music, you will regret not checking them out.
The third band of the night, At My Worst, wins the award for most animated. Vocalist Devin Hayes saw every inch of that stage through the night, engaging the crowd and evoking some of the best pits of the show. At My Worst offered a diverse range of vocals, with growls to rival Chris Motionless, screams on par with Randy Blythe, and a softer set of vocals to round it out. Guitarist Jared Boyer, bassist Darren Pinson, and drummer Eric Johnson round out the band with equally impressive performances making At My Worst a band to watch out for. The band describes their music as variable, labeling it a mix of metalcore, deathcore, and groove metal. Stream their album Vice Versa on all platforms.
Closing out the night was St. Louis-based band Hudai. Representing their social media tagline “hardcore tunes and sexy moves,” this band was a high energy compilation of sounds spanning from Rage Against the Machine straight into Sublime and Black Sabbath, with originals to round it out. The band says they are influenced by a variety of bands including Lamb of God, Gojira, and Trivium, while also pulling jazz, funk, and a little deathcore variety into their songwriting. “We love playing False Alarm and Bulb the most…seeing the crowd go wild and just playing that brutal stuff is a blast,” said the band. You can find Hudai at their Instagram handle, @hudai_band, and streaming on all platforms. | Erica Vining
