Inlate April, Bikini Kill reunited at the Hollywood Palladium for their firstshows in twenty-two years. The original lineup includes Kathleen Hanna(vocals), Tobi Vail (drums) and Kathi Wilcox (bass). Erica Dawn Lyle played inplace of original guitarist Billy Karren.
Onthe second night before the band took the stage, soft, neon pink light dousedthe venue. The color reflected off the numerous crystal chandeliers scatteredamidst the stucco ceiling; it felt like a glammed-out, punk-rock, Flintstones’cave.
Afteran opening set from the Linda Lindas—an all-female pre-teen punk band—BikiniKill emerged from the pink haze. Kathleen Hanna danced around animatedly in awhite dress with a sparkling chestplate. Kathi Wilcox picked up the basswearing a dress completely covered in silver sparkles. Guitarist Erica DawnLyle donned a purple, fur hat, sunglasses, and a tunic.
Immediately,the energy heightened. The set started out with “This is Not a Test.” Lyle wailedon the guitar in a Mad Max fashion-undeniably cool, and incinerating.
Thesongs were quick and intense. Hanna’s vocals on “New Radio” were emotion-filledcalls of raw power. On “Jigsaw Youth” her presence felt equally strong, yetalso loose and fun as she moved around in a swirl of punk-rock ecstaticdancing. It felt very genuine and empowering.
Achant then took over the Palladium, “Girls to the front!” In response, Hannaglanced at the front row and informed an ecstatic crowd that this was indeedthe case.
Theheavy bass lines that led the way into “Feels Blind” matched the equally heavy lyrics,“We eat your hate like love.”
Betweensongs, Kathleen Hanna’s inner monologue took the form of stage banter—one ofthe best parts of the show. Her childlike exuberance and joy, in combinationwith a “Do not give a f*ck’ attitude” forged a next-level stream ofconsciousness of punk wit.
Throughoutthe night the band switched instruments. This usually meant Tobi Vail took thelead on the vocals, Hanna grabbed the bass, and Wilcox headed for the drum kit.Lyle hit the drums for a track too. Thechange-ups set a nice mood; the band and crowd seemed to be equally enjoyingthemselves and feeding off each other’s energy.
“Idon’t know if you guys know how much fun this is!” Hanna exclaimed as everyonecheered. “Can you imagine if I did cocaine?!” she joked. “I just drank a half acup of coffee and I’m ready to go all night!”
Onsong after song Bikini Kill’s radical feminism proved to be alive and well. ‘”Demirep”and “Reject All American” slammed the status quo of political and ladylikenorms (as do most Bikini Kill anthems).
Asthe set neared the end, Hanna remarked on how quickly the night passed. Theyclosed it out with “Rebel Girl” and everyone in attendance seemed to join infor “Rebel Girl, you are the queen of my world!”
BikiniKill walked off stage and the chanting continued. When they returned, BikiniKill hit the crowd with “Double Dare Ya” and seamlessly transitioned into ahigh-powered “Suck My Left One.” After they came back out for a second encore,Hanna said, “This song is a lullaby. It’s for your close person”. She told thecrowd to hold their close person, or think of them if they were far away. With that,‘For Tammy Rae’ sealed the evening on a heartfelt high.
