Josephine Baker, Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, Nelly and so many other great musicians got their starts in St. Louis. And the scene isn’t slowing down or only made up of talents who have already broken through to the national stage.
One of the best ways to find those musicians is to go out to a club and see what you can find. To that end, we compiled a nondefinitive list of some of our favorite spots within city limits to walk into and discover the next great St. Louis musician before the rest of the world.
Atomic By Jamo
4140 Manchester Ave., Forest Park Southeast
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Bar and venue with a large outdoor patio in the Grove. Local and national acts of multiple genres.
Blue Strawberry
364 N. Boyle Ave., Central West End
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Intimate nightclub with a small stage that features a mix of genres including Americana, blues, jazz, R&B and more.
Broadway Oyster Bar
736 S. Broadway, Downtown
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Legendary St. Louis club featuring New Orleans cuisine and rock, reggae, bluegrass, blues, funk, R&B, roots and jam music
CBGB
3163 S. Grand Blvd., Tower Grove South
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Find rock, alternative and punk at this cash-only dive bar. It’s equally known for its bathroom, which has toilets that face one another.
Dark Room at the Grandel
3610 Grandel Square, Grand Center
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Upscale bar and restaurant that showcases photography and live jazz, rock, singer-songwriters and more
Golden Record
2720 Cherokee St., Gravois Park
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This Cherokee Arts District venue has a DIY vibe and books music of all genres, including glitch.
HandleBar
4127 Manchester Ave., Forest Park Southeast
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Find DJs, EDM, soul and more at this bike-themed bar and dance club with a large outdoor patio
Heavy Anchor
5226 Gravois Ave., Bevo Mill
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Punk, indie and hardcore acts take the stage at this south city venue with a mission to put local talent on display.
Honky Tonk STL
756 S. 4th St., downtown
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This downtown venue features live country music five days a week.
Mississippi Underground
1441 N. 2nd St., Near North Riverfront
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Dance club in the industrial area near the Mississippi river that showcases EDM and electronic music.
Off Broadway
3509 Lemp Ave., Marine Villa
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Find rock, indie, alternative, punk and more at this long-running venue near the historic Lemp Brewery complex.
Platypus
4501 Manchester Ave., Forest Park Southeast
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Along with a celebrated cocktail menu and arguably the best popcorn chicken in town, Platypus serves music lovers with indie, rock, metal and DJs.
Red Flag
3040 Locust St., Midtown
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Heavy metal, hardcore, hip-hop, electronic and more at this Midtown venue
Sinkhole
7423 S. Broadway St., Patch
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This club with a strong DIY vibe (that also doubles as a recording studio) features metal, grunge, alternative, rock and more.
Sophie’s Artist Lounge
3333 Washington Ave., Grand Center
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Find art installations, cocktails and squishy lounge seating as well as nightly resident DJs
The Crack Fox
1114 Olive St., Downtown
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Extensive cocktail and mocktail menu as well as drag, comedy, trivia and disco, house, goth, industrial, punk and more.
Tschüss
2847 Cherokee St., Benton Park West
Events via Instagram
Small dance club that draws inspiration from Berlin’s industrial club scene and has a food menu that features hotdogs.
