[Update Below] The uncompromising DIY punk band Bikini Kill, a legendary force of the '90s riot grrrl movement, will reunite this spring for five shows in Los Angeles and New York City. Announced in a press release, the shows will feature the band's original lineup of vocalist Kathleen Hanna, bassist Kathi Wilcox, drummer Tobi Vail, with the addition of guitarist Erica Dawn Lyle.
The Olympia, Washington-bred band hasn't performed a full show together in over 20 years, though they did briefly reunite for one night in November 2017 to perform one song ("For Tammy Rae") at the experimental venue The Kitchen, at a release event for Jenn Pelly's book on The Raincoats. (Hanna has also been performing under The Julie Ruin these past few years.)
Bikini Kill didn't have a huge musical output during their heyday in the 1990s (their entire discography is available online), but their influence is hard to overstate—they empowered women, emboldened several generations of punks to pick up guitars, publish zines, make their own merch, and start their own independent record labels. If you haven't yet, watch The Punk Singer:
Update: Initially, Bikini Kill announced that two of the shows would be happening here in New York, at Brooklyn Steel and Terminal 5, on May 31st and June 1st, respectively. Tickets went on sale Friday, January 18th, and sold out instantly. Soon, the likes of Stubhub began selling resale tickets at astronomical rates. Bikini Kill issued a statement on their website apologizing to people who had "a bad experience trying to get tickets to our upcoming shows" and added two more dates, including one at Kings Theatre on June 5th. Tickets for that show go on sale this Friday, January 25th, at noon. Once again, I will be glued to multiple browsers on my computer this Friday to try and make this happen.
