Bikini Kill

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Image:Bikinikill.jpg Bikini Kill is a punk rock band, formed in Olympia, Washington in October of 1990 (see 1990 in music). At the forefront of the "riot grrrl" movement of the 1990s, the group was infamous for it's radical feminist lyrics and firey performances.

While occassionally collaborating (politically and creatively) with high-profile acts such as Nirvana and Joan Jett, Bikini Kill was well known for shunning major labels and the mainstream rock press. After two full-length albums and several EPs, the group disbanded in 1998.

1 The band
2 Post-Breakup
3 Discography
- 3.1 Albums
- 3.2 Compilations
4 See also
5 External links

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The band

The band was formed at The Evergreen State College by Kathleen Hanna, Kathi Wilcox and Tobi Vail. They began working together on a fanzine called Bikini Kill, and with the addition of Billy Karren, formerly of The Go Team on guitar, formed a band of the same name. Hanna, a former stripper, wrote most of the band's songs and encouraged a female-centered environment at their shows, urging girls to come to the front of the stage and handing out lyric sheets to them.

After an independent demo cassette, Revolution Girl Style Now, Bikini Kill released The Bikini Kill EP on the indie label Kill Rock Stars. Produced by Ian MacKaye of Fugazi, the album began to establish the band's audience. In 1993 (see 1993 in music), Bikini Kill went to England and began working with Huggy Bear, releasing a joint recording together and touring the UK. The tour was the subject of a documentary film by Lucy Thane entitled It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The U.K.. By the following year, riot grrrl was receiving constant attention in the media and Bikini Kill were seen as leaders of the movement. At this time the group called for a "media blackout" to be executed by all riot grrrls, since they felt the band and the movement were being misrepresented and commodified.

On their return to the United States, they began working with Joan Jett, formerly of The Runaways, a rock musician whom Hanna described as an early example of riot grrrl's aesthetics. Jett produced the single "New Radio/Rebel Girl" for the band. Vail and Wilcox began songwriting in 1994 (see 1994 in music), with the release of Pussy Whipped. Their last album was Reject All American (1996, 1996 in music), and the band broke up in 1998 (see 1998 in music). Shortly before the breakup, a collection of singles released between 1996-1998, aptly titled The Singles was released.

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Post-Breakup

After the demise of Bikini Kill, Tobi Vail and Billy Karren began to perform and record together, with Molly Neuman of Bratmobile, as The Frumpies. Vail later resurfaced in a band called Spider and the Webs.

Kathleen Hanna first contributed to an LP as a member of The Fakes, and then turned to more dance-based, electronic music (with similar feminist lyrical themes) on her solo debut, Julie Ruin. She is currently a member of the political dance-pop outfit Le Tigre, which has seen Hanna become far more comfortable with major record labels and the press.

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Discography

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Albums

Revolution Girl Style Now! self released cassette (1991)
Bikini Kill EP on Kill Rock Stars (1991)
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah split LP with Huggy Bear on Catcall Records in the UK, Kill Rock Stars in the US (1993)
"New Radio/Rebel Girl" 7" single on Kill Rock Stars (1993)
Pussy Whipped LP on Kill Rock Stars (1994)
The Anti-Pleasure Dissertation EP on Kill Rock Stars (1994)
"I Like Fucking/I Hate Danger" 7" single on Kill Rock Stars (1995)
Reject All American LP on Kill Rock Stars (1996)