Bikini Kill: Queens of the West Town Neighborhood

By Ari Karnezis

    For as long as punk music has been alive, it has also been one of the widest-spanning genres, bleeding into other music such as rap and metal, and many of its founders have made sure to create the most accepting environment that welcomes anyone and everyone and condemns bigotry and discrimination. One of those founders is undoubtedly Kathleen Hanna, the frontwoman for Bikini Kill and one of the pioneers of the feminist punk movement of the 1990s. Despite the band’s short-lived tenure in that decade that culminated in a break-up in 1997, Bikini Kill has staked their claim as fighters for women’s rights and against the patriarchy.


On September 14th, the Olympia-born riot grrrl legends returned to the Salt Shed for their 2026 North American tour with Chicago post-punk darlings Ganser. Since reuniting for a one-off show in 2017 and consistently touring since 2022, the band has now played Chicago’s Salt Shed at least three times, previously in April 2023 and August 2024. While they have no plans to work on or release any new material, the band has continuously given a fiery performance with their incredible discography from their 1991 debut, two EPs, and two studio albums.


I had the pleasure of attending and covering Bikini Kill’s 2024 show, and in the two years since their last tour, the band has not lost any of their zest nor abrasiveness in their stage presence. As I continue into the world of music journalism, I have realized I feel most at home at a punk show primarily because of their aforementioned welcoming environment. As I entered the Salt Shed on Monday night, I found concertgoers of all ages, including kids who looked as young as 11 years old, young adults with pink, green, black pixie cuts, high school jocks, and older Gen Xers. Indeed, this eclecticism has proven the band's legacy has stretched across generations and solidified their icon status.


Opening for Bikini Kill for the second time since 2023 was Chicago post-punk band Ganser, who offered a unique sound to the show and a taste of the hometown DIY scene. It was so refreshing to see a talented band represent the Windy City on tour with a big act such as Bikini Kill, and despite having a completely different and much more laidback stage presence, they were a fitting warmup to their fiery headliners.


Admittedly, Bikini Kill's setlist was quite similar to their last tour two years ago, but hearing those songs again definitely did not get old. Some of their standout onstage staples included “New Radio” and “This Is Not a Test” to kick off their setlist. Vocalist Kathleen Hanna reflected on the band's early days, including a story of the band's demos getting stolen out of their car in the early 1990s before diving into “Feels Blind” from said demo album, 1991's Revolution Girl Style Now! Notably the setlist featured two impactful songs back to back, “No Backrub,” which Hanna has said is about giving to everyone else yet “never giving shit to yourself,” and “Sugar,” a song about sexual assault. Hanna made a point of insisting that we “talk about hard things” and doing away with phrases like “S.A.” and “grape.” (“Grape, really?” Hanna begs the question. “No, it's rape.”)


As is their tradition, many of their songs also included a change up in members' positions. Vocalist Kathleen Hanna took on the bass, bassist Kathi Wilcox took on the drums, and drummer Tobi Vail took on lead vocals to perform “Outta Me,” “Hamster Baby,” and several more. Quite a few of their songs reference the D.I.Y scene in different ways, including their most famous song “Rebel Girl” (obviously their closer), and even at their current status, Bikini Kill has never forgotten where they came from.
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“If it was for D.I.Y., the scene wouldn't exist,” Vail says before introducing a song, and neither would they as a band. Bikini Kill has obviously still stuck close to their roots, even as they play a larger venue like the independent Salt Shed. Knowing them as a fan, it seems they will continue to do so.

GANSER

BIKINI KILL