Gather round, friends! Let us tell you about the wonderful time when female punk rock faced the emergence of male grunge in the nineties. A small group of fierce feminists led the Riot Grrrl movement, with superheroine Kathleen Hanna at the helm. Her band? Bikini Kill. So, when the word got out that these rock goddesses were coming to our hometown, we were like, ‘Hold my drink, I’m going in!’
Who would have thought Bikini Kill would grace a community hall in Bordeaux? Not us! Our city’s rock scene had been ghosted by many legends, but this time, we aren’t going to complain! We got the chance to see Kathleen the Great and her accomplices at primo seats. Here’s our review of this amazing experience.
How was the Opening Act?
We arrived at the venue at 3:00 PM, thinking it would be swarmed by enraged millennials. To our surprise, that wasn’t the case. So, we decided to take a little stroll before returning just before the doors opened at 7:00 PM.
Of course, when we came back, 150 people had decided to gather in front of the venue. Thankfully, 9 out of 10 of them went straight to the bar when the doors opened, and we managed to get to the Holy Grail: the front row. Phew! Victory dance, anyone?
The first band, Comet Gain, was a real treat, offering a rather lively indie pop featuring two guitars and a delightful keyboard played by fifty-something musicians who lost none of their verve. We gently nodded our heads and moved our little booties to their catchy rhythm. The singer took a few breaks between songs to crack jokes with the crowd, and the band really got the place buzzing.
Turns out, Comet Gain is one of the 90s’ best-kept secrets from Britain. They started in Oxford back in 1992 and have been rocking the indie pop scene ever since. Their discography is quite extensive, and their latest album dates back to 2019. The band’s line-up has changed more times than we can count, but the frontman David Feck, also known as Charlie Damage or David Christian, is still going strong. Despite a few slightly off key notes, he’s still got the spark.
How was the Bikini Kill concert?
Bikini Kill arrived on stage dressed like queens. Kathi Wilcox and Sara Landeau, long and slender figures with stern faces, grabbed their guitars and bass and immediately started rocking out. Tobi Vail, behind the drums, sported gorgeous pink hair and a brightly colored outfit. Hats off to Kathleen Hanna, who wore a fabulous sparkly pink puff dress for the occasion. The 90s were back, and we were all in!
Without missing a beat, the girls launched into their anti-patriarchy anthems, fiercely criticizing social injustices faced by minorities and the hypocrisy of politicians. Every three songs, Kathleen Hanna would hand the mic to Tobi Vail, take the bass, and the two women would each set the audience on fire in their own way.
Kathleen, whose voice hasn’t aged a day, moved from one end of the stage to the other, improvising joyful dance steps and goofily mimicking the voices of stupid men in imaginary conversations. It was so funny! Tobi, on the other hand, mostly stayed center stage but was just as energetic and engaging.
Of course, and the audience was waiting for it, Kathleen didn’t forget to chant her famous slogan « Girls to the front », extending it to all minorities, whether homosexual, transgender, or simply of a different skin color because « it’s not 1994 anymore ».
One of the highlights of the evening was definitely « Rebel Girl »: the whole joint erupted in a glorious chorus. If, at first, the audience was a bit sluggish, everyone quickly caught up. By the concert’s end, we were all bouncing, grooving, throwing our hands in the air, and screaming unapologetic lyrics.
We left smiling from ear to ear, happy to have been part of the history of this unique band.
And you? Have you ever seen Bikini Kill on stage? Tell us everything in the comments!
PS1 : Check out our full concert debriefing on YouTube.
PS2: And if you want to discover more rad female fronted punk bands, we got you covered.
