Right beneath the surface of Charlotte’s culture lies a vibrant punk scene with a variety of outsider genres and identities with a strong network of local artists and musicians. Local venues have been a haven for these musicians, providing a lively audience for artists and bands alike and helping to grow Charlotte’s independent music scene.

A bulk of the scene can be found and experienced at a small venue in Lakewood, The Milestone Club. Founded in 1969, The Milestone Club has hosted a wide roster of bands, both local and beyond, in its 56-year history, including notable acts such as Nirvana, R.E.M. and The Bangles. 

Today, along with the establishments of other small venues like the Rabbit Hole and Snug Harbor, it is hard to find a single week at these venues without a stacked show, hosting a variety of punk and indie bands sprouting out of Charlotte’s urban sprawl. 

One of the bands that can be found playing at venues around Charlotte and North Carolina is Dollhaver. Fourth-year student Kai Harris founded the band in 2023 as their lead guitarist and vocalist with fellow musicians he met on Charlotte’s campus.

“We’re influenced a lot by just extreme metal in general,” said Harris. “You name it, grindcore, death metal, black metal and recently, I got a fixation on war metal, which has been inspiring some of our new stuff and sludge metal as well.”

A band that has also played many shows at The Milestone Club is Saintlogic. In contrast to Dollhaver, they pull from many indie rock influences: Car Seat Headrest, Weezer and Wednesday.

Saintlogic had a headlining show in January 2025 at the venue to celebrate the release of their debut album, “Dogs with Jobs,” with special guests Dollar Taxes and Those Dogs. 

“We’ve had the pleasure of playing with a lot of really cool bands both in Charlotte and out of Charlotte, but that one was special just because we had worked on this thing for so long, and a bunch of our friends and people came out,” said Saintlogic frontman and guitarist Tommy Fitzgerald. “It was really cool to see people wearing our merch at the show. That one was really special just because it was our first time putting together and headlining a show.”

Another artist who has been heavily involved in the local scene is Grace Nelson, who is the vocalist for the weird and gritty digital punk band Girl Brutal, which pulls lyrical inspiration from more experimental acts like Machine Girl, Brutalismus 3000, IC3PEAK and Death Grips. 

One of the first things one might notice when watching Girl Brutal playing live is Nelson’s adornment of bunny ears, which play an overt role in breaking certain gender preconceptions in entertainment. 

“I do recognize that I am, of course, a female in music, and with that comes certain stereotypes or weird expectations that certain people might put onto a female artist,” said Nelson. “I took the idea of Playboy Bunnies, which is a very iconic sex symbol for women, for a long time. I’m taking this sexualized icon and turning it into quite the opposite. The point is not to be hot and sexy; it’s to be weird, gross, screamy and scary.”

Nelson is also known for her solo DJ sets, which have been a growing force in Charlotte’s nightlife, playing rave-ready selections of hard techno, gabber and downtempo. 

“I feel like even a year ago, a lot of the DJing you would see in Charlotte was house DJing or just like social DJs,” said Nelson. “There weren’t really a lot of raves that people were talking about or going to, and I feel like pretty recently that’s picked up. A lot of people are coming out to these DJ nights at the Milestone, and that’s pretty cool.”

Another small venue located in Plaza Midwood is The Rabbit Hole. It is here where hardcore vocalist Tiffany Oram and drummer Slick Willie host a series of events called Slay Together Fest. This festival aims to showcase fresh bands and connect them to audiences. Unlike many other local shows, this bite-sized festival is open to all ages.

“I think that was probably my favorite Charlotte show. The energy was insane, especially with all those younger bands there. We were exposed to younger crowds, and those people tend to really feel the energy,” said Gavin Phillips, guitarist for the alternative metal band Encre Noire, who played at Slay Together Fest in August 2024. “After we played, I had several people come up and ask me to sign stuff or sign their body parts and stuff like that. It’s just awesome.”

Outside of official venues, artists have also found traction through house shows. Being more informal, the rules and access of a house show vary depending on who is organizing them, which tend to be people already entrenched in the network. They may invite artists through a simple text or Instagram message to play at their house and grow their reach. The scouting process for Slay Together Fest starts at many of these shows.

“If there weren’t any house shows, I doubt there would be as many bands. I think that’s where a lot of people get inspired to get in a band and really show off their ideas, which is great,” said Harris, who considers these types of shows to be his favorite. “Because you have to pay to get into venues, they throw shows for free and that’s where a lot of people get their start, especially if they’re friends of whoever’s running it, which is not uncommon because it’s a pretty intimate scene.”

Many artists consider the Charlotte scene to be one of the best in North Carolina, with a positive atmosphere of people who truly support each other, leaving competition at the door.

“Being in the music scene before, around the places that I used to play at, it wasn’t like it is in Charlotte,” said Philips. “Venues like The Milestone or The Rabbit Hole, it’s the crowds there that’ll support you no matter what type of music you are. They’re just coming to have a good time, meet new people, you’re gonna make friends. Everyone is so nice. It’s awesome, dude.”