US Riot Grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill and UK Black Feminist Sistah Punks Big Joanie hit the Netherlands on their 2024 European tour - Herman de Tollenaere was there!
Long ago, the Melkweg building in Amsterdam used to be a milk factory. Ever since the 1960s it’s been a music venue. Many bands have played there, including very recently the UK Subs, punk veterans from 1976.
.
On 6th June 2024, two younger punk bands came here: the pioneer riot grrrls of Bikini Kill, founded in 1990 in the USA, and the even younger Big Joanie from London, founded in 2013.
The Amsterdam Big Joanie and Bikini Kill fans seemed on average considerably younger – about 20 years old and mostly female!
I also met a fifty-something man from Rotterdam, who the day before had seen these two bands in Antwerp, Belgium, and had liked them so much that he also decided to travel to the Amsterdam show. Among tonight’s audience were Ineke Mieneke, drummer and Veerle, keyboardist of Dutch riot grrrl band Panterprint; and Andrea Galova, who was the singer of De Fatwa’s.
I thought that the UK Subs concert the Melkweg had been packed to the rafters and that having more people inside would be impossible, but Big Joanie and Bikini Kill proved that even more jampacked than jampacked is possible! The two bands had previously played together on this June 2024 tour in Paris and Antwerp.
In 2022 Big Joanie released their second album ‘Back Home‘ on Kill Rock Stars label. Starting the show promptly at 8pm, they turned out to be even better live than on their record. The band were: Stephanie Phillips on vocals and guitar, sometimes vocals and tambourine, at centre stage. Estella Adeyeri on bass, sometimes vocals and guitar, on the right. Vanessa Govinden on guitar, sometimes on keyboard, on the left. At the back, on drums Lu Dennis, singer of the band gruntpunx (Punx of Colour from London).
First song played ‘Happier Still‘ is about overcoming depression. They pointed out: “People see us as strong. Which we are. But we also have vulnerabilities.” – see the video below, with Stephanie on tambourine. ‘Confident Man‘, as Stephanie explained, is about con men: “CEOs of big multi-national corporations.” To huge applause, Big Joanie left the stage.
Then, the headliners Bikini Kill played. Their current line-up is Kathleen Hanna (vocals), Kathi Wilcox (bass), Sara Landeau (guitar) and Tobi Vail (drums and sunglasses). Well .. it is if they don’t swap instruments mid-set..
Tobi Vail is sometimes called the ideologist of the riot grrrl tendency within punk; which
arose in the 1990s in the USA and still inspires many recently founded bands all over the
world, including in the Netherlands. After a short introduction by Kathleen, the band burst into their first song, ‘New Radio‘. The audience immediately started pogoing!
Included in the set were ‘Alien She‘, ‘Double Dare Ya‘, succeeded by ‘Carnival‘, ‘Sugar‘ and ‘DemiRep‘, which was sung without the a capella first part as on their record.
After Kathleen gave a shout out to Big Joanie, Bikini Kill played ‘Tony Randall‘.
Continuing with ‘Reject All American‘and ‘Feels Blind‘, the audience reacted enthusiastically to the Bikini Kill set, as the photo shows.
Then, drummer Tobi Vail became lead singer for ‘Distinct Complicity‘, with Tobi on vocals, Kathleen on bass, Kathi on drums, and only Sara still with her usual guitar. This format continued for ‘Tell Me So‘, before it was all change again with Sara playing drums, Kathi guitar, Tobi singing, and Kathleen on bass. All four band members proved that they were not stuck in just one role.
Then, before the last song of the set, Kathleen verbally and deservedly attacked heterosexual male pedophiles for harassing little girls before launching into ‘Suck My Left One‘. The band hung up their instruments and left the stage. But, by massively clapping and shouting, the whole Melkweg made it clear that they wanted to hear more Bikini Kill.
So, the band members returned to the stage to play their encore, ‘Rebel Girl‘. The whole hall became a billowing moshpit, with everyone singing along, before leaving the Melkweg with keen memories of a great night!
If the UK Subs ever decide to stop (I hope they never do), then they can rest assured that their heritage is in safe hands, definitely including the hands of Big Joanie and Bikini Kill.
Bikini Kill will play further concerts this year, in the UK and in North America, as will Big Joanie, in the UK, Germany and Paris.
Main Photo Credit: VEERLE (of Panterprint)
BIG JOANIE:
- Happier
- Taut
- What Are You Waiting For
- Confident Man
- Sainted
- In My Arms
- It’s You
- Fall Asleep
- New Radio
- This Is Not a Test
- Don’t Need You
- Jigsaw Youth
- Feels Blind
- I Hate Danger
- In Accordance to Natural Law
- Double Dare Ya
- Carnival
- Capri Pants
- Tony Randall
- For Only
- Distinct Complicity
- Demi Rep
- Reject All American
- Alien She
- No Backrub
- Sugar
- Hamster Baby
- Tell Me So
- Star Bellied Boy
- Lil’ Red
- Suck My Left One
Encore:
- Rebel Girl
Follow Bikini Kill on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Six of the fest – Christmas 2024!
New releases from: Just Happy To Be Here – ‘Father Christmas’, Tacos and Beer – ‘EBT Christmas’, Dead Pollys – ‘Xmas Evening’, The Hallingtons –
Live review: The Chats, London Electric Ballroom, 15th Dec 2024
It’s rare that we’ve seen an opening band ignite a pit as large and chaotic as the one which bursts into action as soon as
Live Review: Yur Mum / Spleen, London Hope & Anchor, 6th Dec 2024
Songs like ‘What’s Behind The Sun’ and ‘Affected Kid’ are proof that Spleen are already masters of the quiet-loud dynamic that was (yes!) grunge’s hallmark
EP review: No Real Hero – ‘H’
Hailing from Montreal, Canada, ‘H’ is No Real Hero’s first release of new material since 2018. The band originally emerged in 2012 as a hard
Live review: Vive Le X-Mess 2024, London Water Rats, 4th Dec
Ah, the Vive Le Rock magazine X-Mess gig – it’s becoming a great tradition indeed. The Water Rats gets increasingly packed and sweaty tonight, and
Live review: Chubby And The Gang, London Hackney Moth Club, 3rd Dec 2024
Chubby and the Gang’s Charles ‘Chubby’ Manning Walker is – by his own admission – not a man of words. It matters little, because this
In 1978 Herman co-founded Dutch Rock Against Racism and was a founder of Pin punkzine. He’s vocals/saxophone for Cheap ‘n’ Nasty and in 2021 co-founded the Punk Scholars Network, Netherlands.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
