Hunx & His Punx Credit: Cali Thornhill-Dewitt

Hunx is the swaggering, sneering alter ego of singer Seth Bogart. He originally adopted the pseudonym as a member of San Francisco electroclash group Gravy Train!!!!, then branched off to launch his own band, the Punx, in 2008. Though the group has been through several lineup changes and a brief breakup, Bogart has found a solid creative counterpart in Shannon Shaw (also of Shannon & the Clams), with whom he shares the songwriting and singing. The band’s bouffant hairdos and garish makeup, outrageous stage outfits (Bogart often wears a cheetah-print Speedo and leather jacket), and scuzzy, 50s-influenced punk vibe give them a DIY campiness that would make John Waters proud. Though they haven’t dropped a track since 2017’s girl-group-inspired “Baby of the Band,” their two full-lengths tell a sort of queer coming-of-age story through sugary vocal harmonies, a mix of punk, hardcore, and doo-wop influences, and lyrics about cruising, crushing, and necking. The title track of their debut studio album, 2011’s Too Young to Be in Love (Hardly Art), begins with a charmingly simplistic plea to a potential lover: “Why won’t you do it with me / I want to do it with you.” But even when Hunx & His Punx toe the line between naive and explicit, they hit on the sticky-sweet sincerity of a teenager ready to have their heart stomped on. The band are headlining the fifth annual Do312 Rock ’n’ Roll Market, a daylong garage and punk minifest that also features vintage and DIY vendors—if you’re on the hunt for a cheetah Speedo of your own, this could be the place to score one.   v