Earlier this month, Bikini Kill made their first ever stop in Portland, Maine, playing to an eager sold-out crowd at The State Theatre.
Supporting Bikini Kill on this run was Sweeping Promises, a Kansas-based post-punk duo. Sweeping Promises wowed the crowd with their catchy hooks and smart lyricism from the jump (quite literally, turns out - just ask guitarist Caufield Schnug). Kathleen Hanna later remarked that the group was one of her current favorites, and after seeing their performance there’s no questioning why.
20+ years into their career, and Bikini Kill shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. Their longevity is nothing short of spectacular, and every bit deserved. The quartet (Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, and touring guitarist Sara Landeau) tore through their catalog with reckless abandon, playing hit after hit for the sold-out crowd. The energy felt on their recordings easily doubled as they played - their iconic punk riffs and unyielding vocals tearing through the theatre. Intermingling personal stories and comedy into their set, a Bikini Kill show feels like an unseen window into the people and place that inspired track after track.
At the center of their live performance is an undeniable truth: Bikini Kill has a knack for creating community for those who have been, and continue to be, vastly underrepresented and unacknowledged in the punk scene.
The concept “Girls to the Front” has done far more for me as a writer and music industry professional (if there even is such a thing) than I can ever fully understand, much less speak to. Without the influence, attitude, and advocacy of Bikini Kill and the Riot Grrrl movement, the community of amazing femme photographers, writers, promoters, venue managers (I could go on and on) I find comfort and support in may not have found its roots in the vastly male-dominated industry.
Bikini Kill has helped generations of underrepresented communities in the scene feel welcome, understood, and empowered - just ask my mom and her friends who dutifully held down the barricade alongside folks from every generation screaming for revolution, girl style, now.
BIKINI KILL CAN BE FOUND AT:
SWEEPING PROMISES CAN BE FOUND AT:
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