Text by Ana Clara Martins
The doors of the Audio concert hall, located in São Paulo, opened promptly at 6 PM. A few minutes later, a torrential storm swept through the city. It seemed as if the weather knew something historic was about to happen last Tuesday, the 5th. However, those thunderclaps didn't even come close to the biggest bang of that night, delivered by the women of Bikini Kill who, after 33 years as a band, performed for the first time on Brazilian soil.
Riot Grrrl underground punk movement , which emerged in the 90s and sought to bring protagonism to women in a scene that was – and today is not very different – dominated by cisgender white heterosexual men, Bikini Kill drew a crowd not only of women who were eager to see them and who had inspired them throughout their adolescence, but also of younger girls. Near the barrier, the overwhelming presence of these women and LGBTQIA+ people was noticeable.
The band responsible for opening the night was Florcadáver , composed of Amanda Buttler (bass and vocals), Céu (guitar and vocals), and Theo Charbel (drums and vocals). The trio from São Paulo/Belo Horizonte created an atmospheric sound that filled the venue, with several moments leaning towards noise, highlighted by the guitar pedals. Despite being a departure from punk rock, the audience enjoyed the show, dancing lightly, calming the hearts that longed for Kathleen Hanna's strident voice.
Bertha Lutz 's turn to showcase their dykepride, anti-racist, anti-fatphobic, and anti-(cis)ist punk/hardcore sound, straight from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The band, which hadn't played live since 2019, features Bah Lutz (vocals), Rafa Araújo (bass/vocals), Gabi Araújo (guitar), Julie Moura (guitar), and Fernanda Kah (drums).
The first punk mosh pits were spearheaded at this show, creating a visceral energy. The audience screamed along to Bah's vocals at various moments, such as during the songs "Não Passarão" and "Preta Gorda Sapatão". Furthermore, the performance featured a surprising moment: Bah invited Ieri Luna , former vocalist of the band Bulimia , to join him on stage. Despite lasting only 3 years, Bulimia established itself as one of the main references in the Brazilian riot grrrl scene.
The opening acts concluded with a performance by The Biggs from Sorocaba, comprised of Flávia Biggs (guitar and vocals), Mayra Biggs (bass and vocals), and Brown Biggs (drums). On the road for over 25 years, the trio delivered a show that had the audience headbanging, dancing, and smiling, with a highlight being the guitar solos brimming with personality. During the show, Flávia mentioned that the Bikini Kill sound engineer recognized her backstage, as they had participated together in the Girls Rock Camp in Portland in 2005. Today, the artist coordinates Girls Rock Camp Brazil and, with tears in her eyes, highlighted the importance of that night, given that part of the ticket sales will be donated to the project.
Between sets, DJs CamillaJaded & Erika not only played riot grrrl classics, but also songs featuring female artists, ranging from Sonic Youth, Blondie, X-Ray Spex , and even Marina Lima . With only 10 minutes left before the band's entrance, the DJs played the song "Deceptacon" by the band Le Tigre – another project by Kathleen Hanna, vocalist of Bikini Kill – at Audio, making dozens of women sing along to the entire memorized lyrics. It was a message: Bikini Kill's entrance was just around the corner.
The music stopped and screams filled the venue until Tobi Vail (drums), Kathi Wilcox (bass), and Erica Dawn Lyle (guitar) took the stage. Shortly after, Kathleen Hanna made her triumphant entrance, eliciting several "Kathleen, I love you!", as the band kicked off with "New Radio".
The crowd squeezed through the punk circles and vibrated with every word sung. More than 20 songs were performed, including “Carnival”, “Feels Blind” and “I Like Fucking”. The whole band took turns on the instruments: at times Tobi would leave the drums to sing, while Kathi took over the drums and Kathleen went to the bass. Other times Tobi would go to the bass. Only Erica remained on the classic Rickenbacker guitar the entire time.
“Girls to the front, girls to the front, girls to the front!” The audience cheered at the phrase that became a hallmark of riot grrrl shows, encouraging more women to come to the front of the stage. However, the band highlighted the importance of viewing the movement from an intersectional perspective, giving space to all dissident bodies, including LGBTQIA+ people, and emphasizing that it is not possible to identify a person's gender simply by looking at them.
One of the main vehicles for promoting the Riot Grrrl scene continues to be fanzines. This was evident when a girl handed her zine to Kathleen, who took it and promoted it. Soon after, a shower of zines filled the stage.
After performing “Suck My Left One,” a heavy and energetic song, the band says goodbye and leaves the stage. In a few seconds, they return for the encore, which was marked by the great hits “Double Dare Ya” and “Rebel Girl” (which was recently considered one of the 500 best songs in history by Rolling Stone).
The feeling that night was one of acceptance. Although we weren't entirely safe anywhere, it was the first show where I felt that most people could express indignation at frequenting spaces predominantly dominated by white, cisgender, heterosexual men. It was as if everyone could shout without fear.
That night, Bikini Kill showed that they remain a reference for countless women, girls, and queer people, conveying the feeling that it's possible to be radical, daring, or simply do what you've always wanted but never had the courage to do. On the 14th, the group will be back for an extra performance at Audio. Unmissable.