Bikini Kill – Riot Grrls Rock the Powerstation: March 15, 2023 (Concert Review)
Bikini Kill brought riot, feminine rage, and grit to their first-ever New Zealand show at the Powerstation in Auckland, and we were far from disappointed.
No one needed to mention the word ‘punk’ to know what kind of show this was – studded leather jackets, Black Flag and Suicidal Tendencies patches, mohawks and shaved heads… it was a look that was worn by practically everyone in the vast age range of the crowd.
Fake Purr
We were lucky enough to witness the special reunion of Fake Purr, iconic legends of the local punk scene. They got back together solely for this show, delivering a performance so wild you could feel the floor shaking simply from the aggressive head banging.
Members Brenda, Stephanie, Brigid, and Stella entered the stage and performed whilst facing each other, making the audience feel as if they were watching a conversation amongst them. A heavy, metallic riff broke the anticipatory silence of the crowd and went into the song Bed Horsey, an energetic start to set the tone for the night. After the first few songs were played, Brenda Dwayne came to the mic and spoke about their song Suicide Top 20, which was inspired by research that came out about the top 20 interventions for suicide. She took the time to emphasize the urgency of New Zealand’s increasing suicide rates.
As an American who is unfamiliar with the New Zealand punk scene, Fake Purr was an exciting welcome to the country’s musical variety.
Bikini Kill
The anticipated entrance of the riot grrrl trailblazers, Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, and Sara Landeau, was met with roaring applause and a couple of items thrown at the stage. We watch Kathleen pick up one of the items thrown, a voodoo doll, in both laughter and confusion. “I don’t like things being thrown at me, but that was very cute,” she plays off before acknowledging the people affected by the cyclone.
In her eye-catching bright green and pink outfit, Kathleen immediately jumps into their first song New Radio. Although I was not alive at the time, I’m immediately transported to the 90s punk scene, with no iPhones in sight and crowd members moshing within their small enclosed circles of space. From the Powerstation balcony above, you could see some parents holding their kids up to get first-hand experience with the powerful political movement that is Bikini Kill.
Taking a pause after playing iconic hits such as This Is Not A Test, Don’t Need You, and Alien She, Kathleen jokes about the concept of ‘cringe’ and really makes the audience why her care-free nature has been such an inspiration to so many teenage girls like me: “You know what’s cringe? Calling people ‘cringe’ – come up with a real argument, I’m not gonna be silenced by that word. I’ve done spoken word in public, I don’t care about being called cringe”.
Despite a bit of feedback from the mics every now and then, the crew was able to adjust the sound perfectly in between sets, while the band distracted the audience with their small anecdotes. Every song had its own little story that was introduced, such as that of I Hate Danger, which was sung by drummer Tobi Vail, in her bright pink hairdo and very punk shades. Prior to the song, she shouted out the Kiwi band Look Blue Go Purple, which she drew inspiration from.
The band truly showed their diverse musical talent for the politically-defiant song Reject All American, where Kathleen is joined by Kathi and Sara (of The Julie Ruin) to harmonize to the chorus that hammers in the notion of fighting against the unjust American system.
Another display of the band’s multi-instrumentalism is their swap of instruments throughout the show – Kathleen to bass, Tobie to vocals, Sara to guitar, Kathi to drums…each one of the members got their fair share of playing every section of the band to dazzle the audience.
When Kathleen takes the spotlight and performs her acrobat-like dance moves – she puts Mick Jagger in his place. The loudness of the instruments, meshing into one angry noise, riled up the audience to a point where you can practically smell the rebellion in the air. This was especially noticed with their closing song for the evening, SMLO, where the whole audience aggressively threw their fists in the air, chanting the iconic words: “Suck my left one”.
Kathleen’s openness to her experience with sexual assault and her experience being a dancer in her 20s became even more powerful than it already was through her delivery of the songs. She discussed being a first-generation college student in her family and becoming a dancer, which was frowned upon in the punk scene because it’s not feminist. “It’s a fucking job,” she yells to the crowd, being met with a thunder of applause. As a woman, these words spoke heavily to me and I believe that all the women in the crowd felt the same emotions Kathleen was experiencing when she broke the stream of the set to address such topics.
The crowd was left disappointed when the band’s most iconic song did not make it into the set of the show. I, personally, immediately began yelling ‘Encore!, which was followed by the audience falling into a rhythmic clap to lure the band back onto the stage. Bikini Kill re-entered, playing their song Double Dare Ya, which was followed by the familiar riff of Rebel Girl, a song that everyone recognized within the first few strums.
I can easily say this has been one of my favourite concerts I have been to thus far – leaving the Powerstation at almost midnight, I have never felt more energized and ready to aimlessly break everything in my surroundings. Though they had a 20+ year hiatus, Bikini Kill has not lost its edge, but simply found a new generation to bring into the rebellious movement.
Ronnie Efremov
Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Brenna Jo Gotje:
Bikini Kill:
Fake Purr:
