Surprise: Bikini Kill reunited last night at The Kitchen in New York City. On the final night of a three-night event surrounding the release of Pitchfork editor Jenn Pelly’s new 33 1/3 book about the Raincoats’ self-titled album, Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, and Kathleen Hanna took the stage to perform “For Tammy Rae.” It was the first time the band had taken the stage together since they broke up in 1997. (Pelly says she had “no idea” this was going to happen; the night was put together by The Kitchen and Raincoats collaborator Shirley O'Loughlin.) Watch a clip of the moment below.
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Another major milestone happened during the final two nights of the events when the Raincoats’ drummer Palmolive drummed with the band for the first time since 1979. (Palmolive drummed on their self-titled LP and was also the original drummer of the Slits.) The event also featured screenings of the Raincoats’ student films, a short film by Angel Olsen, readings from Pelly and Rob Sheffield, and more.
In 2014, Bikini Kill reissued their 1993 album Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah. The following year, they reissued their demo tape Revolution Girl Style Now, which included the previously unreleased tracks “Playground” and “Ocean Song.” That same year, Boston declared April 9 “Riot Grrrl Day” in honor of Kathleen Hanna. Last year, Le Tigre reunited to release the pro-Hillary Clinton anthem “I’m With Her.”
Read an excerpt from The Raincoats book, and read Pitchfork’s “The Story of Feminist Punk in 33 Songs.”
