Bikini Kill

Last updated
Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill -Palladium.jpg
Bikini Kill performing in 2019
Background information
Origin Olympia, Washington, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1990 – 1997
  • 2017
  • 2019 – present
Labels
Spinoffs The Julie Ruin
Julie Ruin
Le Tigre
Members
Past members Billy Karren
Website bikinikill.com

Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group originally consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail.

Contents

The band pioneered the riot grrrl movement, with feminist lyrics and fiery performances. Their music is characteristically abrasive and hardcore-influenced.

After two full-length albums, several EPs and two compilations, they disbanded in 1997. The band reunited for tours in 2019 and 2022, with Erica Dawn Lyle on guitar in place of Karren.

History

1990 – 1997: Formation and career

Performing in 1991 Bikini Kill in 1991.jpg
Performing in 1991

Bikini Kill formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990, by Kathleen Hanna (vocals), Billy Karren (guitar), Kathi Wilcox (bass), and Tobi Vail (drums). Hanna, Vail, and Wilcox met while attending The Evergreen State College in Washington. [1] Hanna also published a fanzine called Bikini Kill for their first tours in 1991. [2] The band wrote songs together and encouraged a female-centric environment at their shows, urging women to come to the front of the stage and handing out lyric sheets to them. Hanna would also dive into the crowd to personally remove male hecklers. [3] Such male concertgoers would often verbally and physically assault Hanna during shows when the tickets were still inexpensive and easily procured. [3] However, the band's reach included large male audiences as well as young women. [3]

Fellow riot grrrl musician Lois Maffeo originally adopted Bikini Kill as a band name, inspired by the 1967 B-movie The Million Eyes of Sumuru . She and her friend Margaret Doherty used the name for a one-off performance in the late 1980s where they donned faux fur punk cave girl costumes. Vail liked the name and appropriated it after Maffeo settled on the band name Cradle Robbers. [4]

Kathleen Hanna performing with Bikini Kill in Sydney, Australia, in 1996 Khanna2.jpg
Kathleen Hanna performing with Bikini Kill in Sydney, Australia, in 1996

After an independent demo cassette, Revolution Girl Style Now , Bikini Kill released the Bikini Kill EP on the indie label Kill Rock Stars. Produced by Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi, the released help establish the band's audience. The band's debut album, Pussy Whipped , was released in September 1993. Bikini Kill toured in London, England to begin working with Huggy Bear, releasing a split album, Our Troubled Youth / Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah , and touring the UK. The tour was the subject of a documentary film by Lucy Thane titled It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill in the U.K. Upon their return to the United States, the band began working with Joan Jett of the Runaways, whose music Hanna described as an early example of the Riot Grrrl aesthetic. Jett produced the single "New Radio"/"Rebel Girl" for the band, and Hanna co-wrote several songs on Jett's Pure and Simple album. [5]

By the following year, Riot Grrrl was receiving constant attention in the media, and Bikini Kill were increasingly referred to as pioneers of the movement. Hanna called for a "media blackout" amongst Riot Grrrls, as they felt the band and the movement were being misrepresented by the media. [6] The pioneer reputation endures but, as Hanna recalls, "[Bikini Kill was] very vilified during the '90s by so many people, and hated by so many people, and I think that that's been kind of written out of the history. People were throwing chains at our heads – people hated us – and it was really, really hard to be in that band." [7]

The band's final album, Reject All American , was released in 1996. After the band's breakup in 1997, a compilation of singles recorded between 1993 and 1995 was released in 1998 under the name The Singles . [8]

1998 – 2016: Post-breakup

During the summer of 1992, Karren, Wilcox, and Vail, along with Molly Neuman of Bratmobile, formed The Frumpies, touring as late as the early 2000s along with a similar Italian punk rock band Dada Swing. [9] [10]

Vail, notorious for her numerous side projects and being in several bands at a time, later resurfaced in a band called Spider and the Webs, and played with the Old Haunts until the band broke up in 2009. Kathi Wilcox played in the Casual Dots, who released albums in 2004 and 2022, [11] and Billy Karren played in Ghost Mom. Hanna first contributed to an LP called Real Fiction as a member of the Fakes, and then turned to more dance-based new wave music (with similar feminist lyrical themes) on her solo debut, Julie Ruin . She then became a member of the political new wave outfit Le Tigre. [12] After Le Tigre broke up, Hanna became the front woman of a band named after her solo project, The Julie Ruin, for which Wilcox plays bass.

In February 2016, a pro-Hillary Clinton clip utilizing the Bikini Kill song "Rebel Girl" began to go viral, but was taken down by Vail (who supported Bernie Sanders in the primary). [13]

2017 – present: Reunion tours

Bikini Kill in 2019, at the O2 Brixton Academy BikiniKBrixt110619-15 (48986069446).jpg
Bikini Kill in 2019, at the O2 Brixton Academy

In 2017, Kathleen Hanna, Kathi Wilcox and Tobi Vail reunited to play one song at a book-release concert [14] for Jenn Pelly's book about the Raincoats. [15] On January 15, 2019, Bikini Kill announced four U.S. shows, in New York and Los Angeles. [16] The lineup for these shows included Hanna, Wilcox, Tobi Vail and touring guitarist Erica Dawn Lyle, who replaced Billy Karren in the lineup. [17] The first show was April 25 at the Hollywood Palladium with Alice Bag as opener. [18] In June the band played two European dates, in London at Brixton Academy, supported by Big Joanie, and with the Tuts and Child's Pose opening. [19] On September 15, they headlined the third day of the Riot Fest event in Chicago. [20]

On November 6, 2019, Bikini Kill announced a thirteen-date North American Tour for 2020, beginning in Olympia, Washington. [21] The lineup for these shows was the same for the previous dates in 2019, and was scheduled to start March 13, 2020 at Olympia's Capitol Theater. The remainder of the West Coast tour included shows in Victoria, B.C., where they were to be supported by Mecca Normal, and in Portland supported by the Lithics. The tour also included some European dates in June and August, including Oslo's Øya Festival. [22] The tour was rescheduled to 2022 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. [23]

In October 2022 the band announced an Australian tour for March 2023, their first Australian shows in 26 years, touring to Hobart, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, the Golden Plains Festival in country Victoria, Perth and at the Sydney Opera House. Hanna, Wilcox and Vail were joined by touring guitarist Sara Landeau, who played with both Hanna and Wilcox in The Julie Ruin. [24] Vail also fell ill for part of the tour, leaving the band's Australian drum tech Lauren Hammel (also of Tropical Fuck Storm) to fill in on drums for the Victorian shows. [25]

Early in 2020, in an interview with Pitchfork , Hanna stated that the band had no plans at the time to create new material. [15]

Members

Current members

Current touring musicians

Former members

Former touring musicians

Timeline

Bikini Kill

Discography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen Hanna</span> American musician and feminist activist (born 1968)

Kathleen Hanna is an American singer, musician and pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement, and punk zine writer. In the early-to-mid-1990s, she was the lead singer of feminist punk band Bikini Kill, and then fronted the electropunk band Le Tigre in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since 2010, she has recorded as the Julie Ruin.

Tobi Celeste Vail is an American independent musician, music critic and feminist activist from Olympia, Washington. She was a central figure in the riot grrl scene—she coined the spelling of "grrl"—and she started the zine Jigsaw. A drummer, guitarist and singer, she was a founding member of the band Bikini Kill. Vail has collaborated in several other bands figuring in the Olympia music scene. Vail writes for eMusic.

<i>Julie Ruin</i> 1998 studio album by Julie Ruin (Kathleen Hanna)

Julie Ruin is the debut solo album by Kathleen Hanna, released on September 29, 1998, through Kill Rock Stars. She recorded the album in 1997 whilst taking a break from Bikini Kill. Hanna recalled:

[It] was made as Bikini Kill was in breaking up, a guy who worked across the street from my apartment building was stalking me and I was being treated, in my own community, like a historical oddity. The solo record helped me remember that I was just a fucking person who liked being creative.

The Go Team was a 1980s band from Olympia, Washington, consisting of Tobi Vail and Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening.

Bangs was an American punk rock and riot grrrl band from Olympia, Washington.

<i>The Singles</i> (Bikini Kill album) 1998 compilation album by Bikini Kill

The Singles is a compilation album of three singles by punk rock band Bikini Kill. The album was released in 1998 by Kill Rock Stars. Joan Jett produces, plays guitar and sings on the first three tracks. In 2018, Bikini Kill reissued the album on CD and 12" vinyl.

<i>Reject All American</i> 1996 studio album by Bikini Kill

Reject All American is the second studio album by the American punk rock band Bikini Kill, released in 1996 by Kill Rock Stars.

<i>Pussy Whipped</i> 1993 studio album by Bikini Kill

Pussy Whipped is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Bikini Kill. It was released on Kill Rock Stars on October 26, 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathi Wilcox</span> American musician

Kathi Lynn Wilcox is an American musician. She is the bass player in Bikini Kill and guitar player in the Casual Dots. She was also a member of the Julie Ruin and the Frumpies.

<i>Bikini Kill</i> (EP) 1992 EP by Bikini Kill

Bikini Kill is the first EP by the American punk rock band Bikini Kill led by singer Kathleen Hanna. The six-song vinyl EP was released in 1992 on Kill Rock Stars. It was produced by Fugazi's Ian MacKaye. In 1994, the EP was released on CD together with the Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah EP under the name The CD Version of the First Two Records.

William Francis Karren is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the punk/riot grrrl band Bikini Kill, formed by Kathleen Hanna, with Karren, Tobi Vail and Kathi Wilcox. He was also active in many other music projects, including the Go Team, the Frumpies, Corrections, and Spray Painted Love. He did not participate in Bikini Kill's 2019 reunion; his replacement was Erica Dawn Lyle.

Viva Knievel was a short-lived punk rock and pre-riot grrrl band in Olympia, Washington, that existed around 1989–1990. Viva Knievel was Kathleen Hanna's second band, and included Zeb Olsen on bass, her brother, Stu, on guitar, and Matt Zodrow on drums. Kathleen's first band had been called "Amy Carter". Zeb, Stu, and Matt started playing punk rock in the early 80's and were in multiple bands before VK. Four Viva Knievel songs recorded in 1990 were released as a 7-inch EP on Cindy Wolfe's record label Ultrasound Records.

The Frumpies were an American lo-fi punk rock band formed in 1992 in Olympia, Washington. The original line-up consisted of singers/guitarists Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, and Billy Karren, and Bratmobile drummer Molly Neuman. Their debut was the 7-inch single Alien Summer Nights on the Chainsaw Records label. Babies and Bunnies was recorded in 1993, with future Make-Up and Weird War bassist Michelle Mae signing on long enough to record "Tommy Slich."

<i>Pure and Simple</i> (Joan Jett album) 1994 studio album by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Pure and Simple is the ninth studio album by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, released in 1994. The album includes several tracks co-written with Kathleen Hanna, including "Go Home", a response to the murder of Mia Zapata.

<i>The C.D. Version of the First Two Records</i> 1994 compilation album by Bikini Kill

The C.D. Version of the First Two Records is a compilation by punk rock band Bikini Kill, collecting their 1992 eponymous EP and their half of the 1993 EP Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, an album they shared with the band Huggy Bear. It was released in 1994 on Kill Rock Stars and was the first Bikini Kill release on CD. The album was re-released by Bikini Kill Records on June 23, 2015 as simply The First Two Records and featured additional tracks from the expanded re-release of Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebel Girl (Bikini Kill song)</span> 1993 single by Bikini Kill

"Rebel Girl" is a song by American punk rock band Bikini Kill. The song was released in three different recorded versions in 1993 – on an EP, an LP, and a 7-inch single. The single version was produced by Joan Jett and features her on guitar and background vocals. Widely considered a classic example of punk music, the song remains emblematic of the riot grrrl movement of the 1990s. In 2021, "Rebel Girl" was listed at number 296 on the updated list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington, and the greater Pacific Northwest, and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. A subcultural movement that combines feminism, punk music, and politics, it is often associated with third-wave feminism, which is sometimes seen as having grown out of the riot grrrl movement and has recently been seen in fourth-wave feminist punk music that rose in the 2010s. The genre has also been described as coming out of indie rock, with the punk scene serving as an inspiration for a movement in which women could express anger, rage, and frustration, emotions considered socially acceptable for male songwriters but less commonly for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bikini Kill discography</span>

The discography of Bikini Kill, an American punk rock band, consists of three studio albums, one split studio album, two compilation albums, one extended play (EP) and four singles.

<i>The Punk Singer</i> 2013 American film

The Punk Singer is a 2013 documentary film about feminist singer Kathleen Hanna who fronted the bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, and who was a central figure in the riot grrrl movement. Directed by filmmaker Sini Anderson and produced by Anderson and Tamra Davis, the film's title is taken from the Julie Ruin song "The Punk Singer", from Hanna's 1998 solo effort.

Suture was an American punk rock and indie rock trio based in Washington, D.C., affiliated with early riot grrrl. Suture consisted of Kathleen Hanna, Sharon Cheslow, and Dug E. Bird aka Doug Birdzell.

References

  1. ↑ "Bikini Kill Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2015-12-09. Retrieved 2015-12-04.
  2. ↑ "Bikini Kill Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 9, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Brockes, Emma (9 May 2014). "What happens when a riot grrrl grows up?". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-12-04.
  4. ↑ Marcus, Sara (2010). Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. pp. 46–47. ISBN   978-0-06-180636-0.
  5. ↑ Daly, Steve (March 24, 1994). "Joan Jett Lives Up to Her Bad Reputation". Rolling Stone.
  6. ↑ Brooks, Katherine (2013-11-29). "Punk Icon Kathleen Hanna Brings Riot Grrl Back To The Spotlight". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  7. ↑ Burbank, Megan (April 22, 2015). "Rebel Girl, Redux". Portland Mercury. Portland, OR. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  8. ↑ The Singles (Bikini Kill) at AllMusic
  9. ↑ "Frumpies News of April 2000" Archived 2006-10-31 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on August 17, 2009.
  10. ↑ "The Frumpies in italy___komakino'zine". Inkoma.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  11. ↑ "The Casual Dots". Bandcamp . Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  12. ↑ Johnson, Martin (11 November 1999). "Sharps & Flats – Music". Salon.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  13. ↑ Igneri, Jenna. "Bikini Kill's Tobi Vail Filed A Copyright Infringement Notice Against Hillary Clinton's Camaign". Nylon. BDG Mesia Inc. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  14. ↑ Minsker, Evan; Wicks, Amanda (November 5, 2017). "Bikini Kill Reunite for the First Time in 20 Years: Watch – Pitchfork". Pitchfork . Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  15. 1 2 Pelly, Jenn (January 22, 2020). "Kathleen Hanna on What Bikini Kill Means Now". Pitchfork . Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Bikini Kill Announce Reunion Tour". Pitchfork. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  17. ↑ Legaspi, Althea (15 January 2019). "Bikini Kill to Reunite For First Full Shows Since 1997". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  18. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (April 26, 2019). "Bikini Kill played their first show in over 20 years (setlist, videos)". Brooklyn Vegan . Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  19. ↑ Pearis, Bill (April 25, 2019). "Bikini Kill reissuing 'Pussy Whipped' & 'Reject All American'; first reunion show is tonight". Brooklyn Vegan . Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  20. ↑ Ryan, Jim (September 19, 2019). "Rise Against, Patti Smith And Bikini Kill Take A Socially Conscious Approach To Riot Fest Sets". Forbes . Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  21. ↑ Ehrlich, Brenna (November 6, 2019). "Bikini Kill Announce 2020 North American Tour". Rolling Stone . Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  22. ↑ DeVille, Chris (November 6, 2019). "Bikini Kill 2020 Tour Dates & Ticket Info". Stereogum . Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  23. ↑ Marisa Whitaker (March 14, 2022), "Bikini Kill Detail 2022 Summer Tour", Spin
  24. ↑ Condon, Dan (27 October 2022). "Bikini Kill announce Australian tour for 2023". Double J . Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  25. ↑ Billy, August (14 March 2023). "Golden Plains Review – A Festival of Supernatural Kindness". Music Feeds. Evolve Media. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
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