Photos: Bikini Kill @ Roadrunner on 4/9

By Julia Federing

The first time I remember listening to Bikini Kill was in 2021. I was walking through the streets of my suburban neighborhood, just twenty minutes away from where the band was partially founded, and I was pissed. The COVID lockdown had been in effect for at least a year by now and while I knew it was necessary, I could feel my high school senior year slipping from my fingers. I was feeling incredibly isolated and powerless, so of course I turned to punk music to voice those rages.

At the same time, Bikini Kill’s concert at Boston’s Roadrunner was postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic. Little did I know that our paths would cross just a few years later. 

Bikini Kill formed in Olympia, WA and Washington D.C. in 1990. The band was instrumental to not only punk but its feminist subsect, riot grrrl. One could argue that they’re one of the most influential punk bands ever (it’s me, I would argue that). The band broke up in 1997 but united for a series of reunion tours in 2017 and have been traveling since.

The show itself was lively, full of punks young and old (I saw one silver-haired guy in his 50s moshing next to a bunch of college students, right in the center of the pit. They got tired and gave up before he did). 

The show was heartfelt, too. Lead singer Kathleen Hanna reminisced with the audience about her last performance in Boston. She and her bandmates Tobi Vail, Billy Karren and Kathi Wilcox were almost forced offstage for singing songs about rape and sexual violence. "These motherfuckers are scared of us," she proclaimed, stressing the importance of voicing the truth and when our democracy is jeopardized. “But,” Hanna said, “let’s celebrate the things we have accomplished.” And we did.

Bikini Kill’s performance was one of rage, integrity, and community. And as I screamed along to “New Radio” with my friends, I remembered listening to the exact same song two years prior. I don’t know, I think my 2021 self would be proud.