Our Feminist Dreams Are Coming True: Bikini Kill Is Back!

Calling all rebel girls.

The dream of the ’90s is alive in Los Angeles and New York! Pull out your flannel and Doc Martens because Bikini Kill, the legendary Riot Grrrl band, just announced that they will be playing three shows this year: two in Los Angeles and one in New York. The reunion tour will feature singer Kathleen Hanna, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail, who will again join forces to bring Bikini Kill back to life. Erica Dawn Lyle will join the trio as the guitarist, replacing Billy Karren.

 

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Bikini Kill first rose to popularity during the Riot Grrl feminist punk movement that began in Washington state in the early ’90s. In addition to producing several women-fronted punk bands, the Riot Grrrl movement also inspired women fans to organize against sexism, racism, and homophobia. Bikini Kill is perhaps the best-known Riot Grrl band, and although they broke up in 1997, their music continues to be a touchpoint for many fans. Since their breakup, the band has only come together once to play at a tribute event honoring The Raincoats, a British punk group. After Bikini Kill, frontwoman Kathleen Hanna went on to perform as Le Tigre and Julie Ruin.

 

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Their reunion comes at a time when ’90s nostalgia is at an all-time high, and a new generation of young women is discovering the joys of punk and post-punk. It also comes at a time when feminist girl power is being embraced and re-embraced. Bikini Kill’s limited regrouping will no doubt inspire a new generation to embrace the Riot Grrrl movement, while also delighting those who were fans in the early ’90s.

If you just can’t wait, you can finally find Bikini Kill on most streaming services, most of which didn’t carry the band’s music until last year. You can also listen to their compilation The Singles, which was reissued in 2018.

 

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📸 by Lisa Darms

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