bikini kill

A couple of years ago I saw ex-Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna speak in New York City, right before she donated her musical archives to New York University’s Fales Library. I was struck by her acerbic wit, her ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude.

While I was a teenager during the grunge and Riot Grrrl era, for some reason I was (at the time) more drawn to hyper-masculine, testosterone-saturated grunge and metal bands and was not that interested in what was happening on the other side of the scene. As Hanna’s talk was intriguing, I took the opportunity to check out The Punk Singer, part of the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto.

About 10 minutes into the documentary, I knew that I had made a colossal mistake.

This week, feminist punk pioneers Bikini Kill started their own record label. Yep, you read that right.

It's a good day to be a feminist music fan, but to quote the immortal words of Levar Burton, "You don't have to take my word for it!" You can see/hear for yourself, because today's B-Sides is bringing you not one, not two, but three awesome ladymusic-related videos to brighten up your workday Tuesday. Lykke Li! Adele! Bikini Kill! Let's get to it!

"FEMINISTS, WE’RE CALLING YOU! PLEASE REPORT TO THE FRONT DESK!"

It’s fucking hard to be feminist. (If you just made a dick joke to yourself then get the heck outta here!) No one said negotiating power was easy, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t rock out while challenging the status-quo, being politically active and refusing to compromise your principles. Enter Le Tigre, and for fun’s sake, let’s put ‘em on tour!