Bikini Kill

Banished Music, Strange News, and Solid Entertainment are proud to present, for the first time in New Zealand, iconic feminist punk pioneers Bikini Kill.

Riot grrrl trailblazers Bikini Kill founding members Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail and Kathi Wilcox are set to bring the riot to one very special all-ages show at the Powerstation, Wednesday 15th March, 2023.

When Bikini Kill formed in Olympia, Washington back in 1990, they quickly earned a reputation for one of the fiercest bands around, with their unapologetically political lyricism, DIY ethos, and high energy, often confrontational live shows.

Credited with instigating the Riot Grrrl movement, the band created a legacy that is still resonating across the planet, with a commitment to helping empower and inspire the feminist voice through music.

Since reuniting in 2019 the band are selling out shows wherever they go, a testament to their unquestionable impact and cultural importance in musical history. Their live shows have lost none of what made them so brilliantly punk in the first place:

“The second coming of Bikini Kill is a gloriously urgent call to arms from a band that have lost none of their visceral power. Bikini Kill are well rehearsed, and 20 years more comfortable with their instruments than they were in their 90s heyday.” - The Guardian

“The most pure joy of the Bikini Kill live show is getting to revel in that femme-punk uncanny zone between the sexy, the smart and the absurd. It’s the band’s special magic, one that’s acted like a preservative over the years, conserving their appeal for future generations of self-confident girls and intelligent punks.” - Rolling Stone

“Revolution, girl-style, now!” Bikini Kill believe that if all girls started bands the world will change. They actively encourage women and girls to start bands as a means of cultural resistance. Their first ever visit to Aotearoa is a one-off show on Wednesday 15th March at the Powerstation which the band specifically requested be all-ages, to allow for their youngest fans to be able to be a part of it all.

For a band that began over thirty years ago, theirs is a message that has never been more relevant, with each new generation finding inspiration, education, and solace in songs like, Feels Blind, Double-Dare Ya and Rebel Girl which was just announced as the 10th best song of the 90s by Pitchfork

We are beyond excited to be hosting Bikini Kill this March as part of their ongoing world tour, with original members Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail, and Kathi Wilcox joined by guitarist Sara Landeau (The Julie Ruin).