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| Riot grrrl: searching for music's young female revolutionaries | Riot grrrl: searching for music's young female revolutionaries |
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| March 1993, and a storm is about to hit. Two bands – one American, one British – have embarked on a tour of the UK, sweeping across the country with a message and a mission. Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear proclaim in words, deeds and noise that it is no longer OK for men to push women to the back of the room with actual and threatened violence, nor are women just there to hold the guys' coats while they mosh. The new ethos is screamed loud and clear: girls can have the stage, and they can run the show. | March 1993, and a storm is about to hit. Two bands – one American, one British – have embarked on a tour of the UK, sweeping across the country with a message and a mission. Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear proclaim in words, deeds and noise that it is no longer OK for men to push women to the back of the room with actual and threatened violence, nor are women just there to hold the guys' coats while they mosh. The new ethos is screamed loud and clear: girls can have the stage, and they can run the show. |
| I was one of the many participants in this revolution as a writer, fan and gig promoter, following the bands on several dates and putting on their show in Leeds. But to tell the full story, we need to go back to the start. | I was one of the many participants in this revolution as a writer, fan and gig promoter, following the bands on several dates and putting on their show in Leeds. But to tell the full story, we need to go back to the start. |
| To be a girl in 1990s America meant being fed on media lies that to be acceptable you must be impossibly thin and as pretty as a photoshopped picture. The official line is that you have equality with boys, yet your reproductive rights are being eroded. You have a high chance of being raped, sexually harassed or sexually abused, and a very low chance that any perpetrator gets convicted, and you'll be told you deserved it anyway because of what you wore or where you went. Want to scream? Want to make some noise? You might, but you're only going to get told to shut up and stop making a fuss, so what's the point? | To be a girl in 1990s America meant being fed on media lies that to be acceptable you must be impossibly thin and as pretty as a photoshopped picture. The official line is that you have equality with boys, yet your reproductive rights are being eroded. You have a high chance of being raped, sexually harassed or sexually abused, and a very low chance that any perpetrator gets convicted, and you'll be told you deserved it anyway because of what you wore or where you went. Want to scream? Want to make some noise? You might, but you're only going to get told to shut up and stop making a fuss, so what's the point? |
| In 1991, a handful of girls from the small city of Olympia, Washington, decided that things were going to change, and no way would they be shutting up any time soon. Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail and Kathy Wilcox formed Bikini Kill and called for a "Revolution, girl-style, now". That summer they moved en masse to Washington DC, where Alison Wolfe and Molly Neuman (writers of the fanzine Girl Germs and founders of surf-garage combo Bratmobile) created a new zine along with Hanna and artist Jen Smith, and named it Riot Grrrl. A movement coalesced around this core group of young girls and then exploded across the US, driven by incendiary shows, machine-gun rounds of fanzines and (often exploitative and patronising) media reports. | In 1991, a handful of girls from the small city of Olympia, Washington, decided that things were going to change, and no way would they be shutting up any time soon. Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail and Kathy Wilcox formed Bikini Kill and called for a "Revolution, girl-style, now". That summer they moved en masse to Washington DC, where Alison Wolfe and Molly Neuman (writers of the fanzine Girl Germs and founders of surf-garage combo Bratmobile) created a new zine along with Hanna and artist Jen Smith, and named it Riot Grrrl. A movement coalesced around this core group of young girls and then exploded across the US, driven by incendiary shows, machine-gun rounds of fanzines and (often exploitative and patronising) media reports. |
| The music industry has always been a particularly restrictive field for women and girls to work within, yet punk had screamed the news that anyone can do it, every voice is worth hearing. There were iconic girl musicians in punk rock, but without a feminist agenda – that revolution hadn't gone far enough. | The music industry has always been a particularly restrictive field for women and girls to work within, yet punk had screamed the news that anyone can do it, every voice is worth hearing. There were iconic girl musicians in punk rock, but without a feminist agenda – that revolution hadn't gone far enough. |
| "Gender power structures are entrenched in the popular music industry so it is much harder for women to become credible, authentic and legitimate cultural creators," says Julia Downes, editor of Women Make Noise: Girl bands from Motown to the Modern. "There is a strong global legacy of women musicians and all-girl bands with women as cultural creators; but sexism, homophobia, racism and classism all interact to prevent these women from becoming accepted by the pop mainstream as innovative, new or great. Their music tends to be seen as a novelty, as derivative, too 'political' or just plain 'bad' music". | "Gender power structures are entrenched in the popular music industry so it is much harder for women to become credible, authentic and legitimate cultural creators," says Julia Downes, editor of Women Make Noise: Girl bands from Motown to the Modern. "There is a strong global legacy of women musicians and all-girl bands with women as cultural creators; but sexism, homophobia, racism and classism all interact to prevent these women from becoming accepted by the pop mainstream as innovative, new or great. Their music tends to be seen as a novelty, as derivative, too 'political' or just plain 'bad' music". |
| Riot grrrls sought to raise their own and other girls' confidence while destroying the myth that women could not work together owing to jealousy and bitchiness. And it turned out that forming a grrrl gang was actually the best fun ever. | Riot grrrls sought to raise their own and other girls' confidence while destroying the myth that women could not work together owing to jealousy and bitchiness. And it turned out that forming a grrrl gang was actually the best fun ever. |
| I'd been publishing a zine on my own for years – the Leeds-based Ablaze! fanzine, a vehicle for me to write the UK/US music scenes as I saw them – when Washington DC's boy revolutionaries the Nation of Ulysses visited the UK in 1992. Guitarist Tim Green told me how girls in the US were becoming organised, but I didn't know what to do with the information. Then music journalist Sally Margaret Joy used her platform at Melody Maker to put out the cry that this is happening and you can do it too, and girls in Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, Bradford, Leeds, London and Brighton formed their own riotous grrrl assemblies. | I'd been publishing a zine on my own for years – the Leeds-based Ablaze! fanzine, a vehicle for me to write the UK/US music scenes as I saw them – when Washington DC's boy revolutionaries the Nation of Ulysses visited the UK in 1992. Guitarist Tim Green told me how girls in the US were becoming organised, but I didn't know what to do with the information. Then music journalist Sally Margaret Joy used her platform at Melody Maker to put out the cry that this is happening and you can do it too, and girls in Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, Bradford, Leeds, London and Brighton formed their own riotous grrrl assemblies. |
| It was life-changing: we fulfilled ambitions that had been gnawing away at us for years. After a decade of trying to form a band and being told by boys that I couldn't sing or play, I met girls who believed in me, and spent the next few years recording and playing shows with Coping Saw and Wack Cat. Our riot grrrl clench also spawned the off-kilter punk of Witchknot, John Peel faves Hip Huggers, and the rather experimental Vaginal Teeth. | It was life-changing: we fulfilled ambitions that had been gnawing away at us for years. After a decade of trying to form a band and being told by boys that I couldn't sing or play, I met girls who believed in me, and spent the next few years recording and playing shows with Coping Saw and Wack Cat. Our riot grrrl clench also spawned the off-kilter punk of Witchknot, John Peel faves Hip Huggers, and the rather experimental Vaginal Teeth. |
| And across the rest of the UK, bands sprang up. Huggy Bear were the ring leaders with their highly charged rhythm and detonation sound, but there was also Linus, Skinned Teen, Voodoo Queens, Golden Starlet, Sister George, Pussycat Trash, Kenickie, Sally Skull, Lungleg. | And across the rest of the UK, bands sprang up. Huggy Bear were the ring leaders with their highly charged rhythm and detonation sound, but there was also Linus, Skinned Teen, Voodoo Queens, Golden Starlet, Sister George, Pussycat Trash, Kenickie, Sally Skull, Lungleg. |
| In the States the scene gradually moved from isolated cool girl bassists to hosts of all-female bands. Calamity Jane, the Frumpies, Mecca Normal and Fifth Column joined the girl-centred groups that, even though they pre-dated the movement or were not aligned with it, came to stand as riot grrrl icons. UT, Fire Party, Frightwig, Babes in Toyland, Hole, Slant 6 and L7 inspired by their presence in a field where girls' rock'n'roll activities had been so restricted in the past. | In the States the scene gradually moved from isolated cool girl bassists to hosts of all-female bands. Calamity Jane, the Frumpies, Mecca Normal and Fifth Column joined the girl-centred groups that, even though they pre-dated the movement or were not aligned with it, came to stand as riot grrrl icons. UT, Fire Party, Frightwig, Babes in Toyland, Hole, Slant 6 and L7 inspired by their presence in a field where girls' rock'n'roll activities had been so restricted in the past. |
| Once the first riot grrrls had spoken, their message could not be taken back – no amount of media backlash would erase the notion that girls can get involved on our own terms, no longer accepting our roles in music or writing being denigrated and reduced to the term "groupie". | Once the first riot grrrls had spoken, their message could not be taken back – no amount of media backlash would erase the notion that girls can get involved on our own terms, no longer accepting our roles in music or writing being denigrated and reduced to the term "groupie". |
| Bands inspired bands, and zines inspired zines. Riot grrrl meetings were still being held in the mid-90s in the UK. Grrrl zines appeared in Spanish, and garage trio Hello Cuca emerged from Murcia. In Portland, Heavens to Betsy's gut-spewing rawness and the intensity of Excuse Seventeen gave way to Sleater-Kinney, a grrrl trio that would suffuse the next decade with the sweetest and most powerful pop tunes known to personkind. | Bands inspired bands, and zines inspired zines. Riot grrrl meetings were still being held in the mid-90s in the UK. Grrrl zines appeared in Spanish, and garage trio Hello Cuca emerged from Murcia. In Portland, Heavens to Betsy's gut-spewing rawness and the intensity of Excuse Seventeen gave way to Sleater-Kinney, a grrrl trio that would suffuse the next decade with the sweetest and most powerful pop tunes known to personkind. |
| "Dare you to be who you are, dare you to do what you will," Kathleen Hanna had incited in Double Dare Ya, and thousands had taken her up on the challenge, including the Spice Girls, who dared to be as apolitical as all hell while usurping the girl power banner for their own career ends. Riot Grrrls shrugged and carried on; co-option had been anticipated, and at least Victoria Beckham and co conveyed to their young audience a sense of just how much fun you can have when you get together with your girlfriends and feel good about yourselves. | "Dare you to be who you are, dare you to do what you will," Kathleen Hanna had incited in Double Dare Ya, and thousands had taken her up on the challenge, including the Spice Girls, who dared to be as apolitical as all hell while usurping the girl power banner for their own career ends. Riot Grrrls shrugged and carried on; co-option had been anticipated, and at least Victoria Beckham and co conveyed to their young audience a sense of just how much fun you can have when you get together with your girlfriends and feel good about yourselves. |
| Formed in the late-90s, Gossip scaled the charts with their irrepressibly soulful rock. "They are a prime example of how riot grrrl aesthetics and politics have survived," notes Sara Marcus, author of Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution. "The unapologetic way Beth Ditto presents herself to the world – as a lesbian, as a fat girl, as a feminist – comes directly from riot grrrl." | Formed in the late-90s, Gossip scaled the charts with their irrepressibly soulful rock. "They are a prime example of how riot grrrl aesthetics and politics have survived," notes Sara Marcus, author of Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution. "The unapologetic way Beth Ditto presents herself to the world – as a lesbian, as a fat girl, as a feminist – comes directly from riot grrrl." |
| And in the year 2000, in Olympia, Ladyfest emerged – a festival devoted exclusively to the music, films, writing and performances of female artists. That first event gave rise to others in more than 40 cities across three continents, and they're still happening now; watch out for Ladyfests in Glasgow, Leeds, Paris, Rome, Brussels, Leipzig and Philadelphia this year. | |
| If riot grrrl arrived on the crest of a hormonal teenage wave, Ladyfest is how she is now: mature and kicking some serious ass. Expect to see a selection of the bands and artists that have arisen from the pro-feminist consciousness that riot grrrl brought about. "The festival isn't a commercial or capitalist brand, of course, but it's disconcertingly not unlike a franchise," says Chella Quint, comedy writer, performer and editor of Adventures in Menstruating zine. "People get inspired to put one on, they generally have the same principles of DIY and feminism, they're done as not-for-profit or charity fundraisers, and they promote women artists. Does everyone on the current Ladyfest scene in the UK today know the roots of it or have links to Portland or Olympia? Nope. It's taken on a life of its own." | |
| While Ladyfests cater for the grownups, what about the young grrrls? That's where Girls Rock Camps come in. Starting in 2001, they're now running throughout Europe and the US, giving teenage girls, inter and trans people a week during which they can explore making music in a safe space and experience a whole week free from sexism. | While Ladyfests cater for the grownups, what about the young grrrls? That's where Girls Rock Camps come in. Starting in 2001, they're now running throughout Europe and the US, giving teenage girls, inter and trans people a week during which they can explore making music in a safe space and experience a whole week free from sexism. |
| Maebh Murphy of electro duo You're Only Massive has been working with Ruby Tuesday, Berlin's Girls Rock Camp, for the past two years. "The time after camp can be a strange one, for me personally," she explains. "Coming back to society, getting treated in the same old shitty way, another sound engineer explaining your equipment to you … But it is so amazing to have a safe space, even if just for a short time, and to create it for others." | Maebh Murphy of electro duo You're Only Massive has been working with Ruby Tuesday, Berlin's Girls Rock Camp, for the past two years. "The time after camp can be a strange one, for me personally," she explains. "Coming back to society, getting treated in the same old shitty way, another sound engineer explaining your equipment to you … But it is so amazing to have a safe space, even if just for a short time, and to create it for others." |
| Last year Kate Nash raised a flag for feminist punk rock with the Hole-esque Under-Estimate the Girl. A powerful statement of boredom with the status quo and how female potential is played down, it was met with derision and claims that the song was "a joke". | Last year Kate Nash raised a flag for feminist punk rock with the Hole-esque Under-Estimate the Girl. A powerful statement of boredom with the status quo and how female potential is played down, it was met with derision and claims that the song was "a joke". |
| Of course mainstream pop feeds on selling out and co-opting. There's nothing revolutionary in the love songs of Katy Perry and the hedonism of Gaga, despite her good works. But to gauge the revolutionary power of riot grrrl you need only check the labour camps of Mordovia and Perm Oblast where two Pussy Riot members are still held. | Of course mainstream pop feeds on selling out and co-opting. There's nothing revolutionary in the love songs of Katy Perry and the hedonism of Gaga, despite her good works. But to gauge the revolutionary power of riot grrrl you need only check the labour camps of Mordovia and Perm Oblast where two Pussy Riot members are still held. |
| Members of this Russian punk-feminist street band spoke to Vice magazine shortly before their arrest, giving credit to Bikini Kill and riot grrrl in general: "We somehow developed what they did in the 90s, although in an absolutely different context and with an exaggerated political stance, which leads to all of our performances being illegal," stated Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. Pussy Riot formed when Putin announced his intention to return for another 12 years as president, and their concerns range from women's and LGBT rights, education and health care, fearing the poverty and corruption that Russia would suffer as a result of his return to power. Their public performance-protests – and the subsequent trial and imprisonment of two members – have been well-documented, and grass roots groups globally have sported their trademark Day-Glo dresses and balaclavas in order to protest against these sentences. Our communities are now faced with the question of how we are actually going to free Pussy Riot. | Members of this Russian punk-feminist street band spoke to Vice magazine shortly before their arrest, giving credit to Bikini Kill and riot grrrl in general: "We somehow developed what they did in the 90s, although in an absolutely different context and with an exaggerated political stance, which leads to all of our performances being illegal," stated Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. Pussy Riot formed when Putin announced his intention to return for another 12 years as president, and their concerns range from women's and LGBT rights, education and health care, fearing the poverty and corruption that Russia would suffer as a result of his return to power. Their public performance-protests – and the subsequent trial and imprisonment of two members – have been well-documented, and grass roots groups globally have sported their trademark Day-Glo dresses and balaclavas in order to protest against these sentences. Our communities are now faced with the question of how we are actually going to free Pussy Riot. |
| "Riot grrrl provides a tangible example of a moment when girls and young women visibly created feminist music, writing and art on their own terms," says Julia Downes. "However, fundamentally it is about the power of young women, girls and queers who find a way to use music, politics and punk to transform their local communities now." | "Riot grrrl provides a tangible example of a moment when girls and young women visibly created feminist music, writing and art on their own terms," says Julia Downes. "However, fundamentally it is about the power of young women, girls and queers who find a way to use music, politics and punk to transform their local communities now." |
| There are more grrrl bands in the UK now than ever before. The likes of Trash Kit, Skinny Girl Diet, Silver Fox, Bellies, Woolf, Esper Scout and Cat Bear Tree may still lurk under the media's radar, but they are here. Bristol squat scene duo Do It Do It Do It are only three gigs old, and they get the girls in the audience positively howling with approval at songs such as Bush, a rap of appreciation for our much-maligned body hair, and Dry for Days, about the realities of sex work. | There are more grrrl bands in the UK now than ever before. The likes of Trash Kit, Skinny Girl Diet, Silver Fox, Bellies, Woolf, Esper Scout and Cat Bear Tree may still lurk under the media's radar, but they are here. Bristol squat scene duo Do It Do It Do It are only three gigs old, and they get the girls in the audience positively howling with approval at songs such as Bush, a rap of appreciation for our much-maligned body hair, and Dry for Days, about the realities of sex work. |
| Jesus and His Judgemental Father have been operating out of Leeds for the past few years, where their spectacular pop punk repertoire has earned them an enraptured following. On first seeing them I cried with happiness at what riot grrrl has led to. | Jesus and His Judgemental Father have been operating out of Leeds for the past few years, where their spectacular pop punk repertoire has earned them an enraptured following. On first seeing them I cried with happiness at what riot grrrl has led to. |
| The sounds and ideology of riot grrrl live on in girl bands, feminist and queer club-nights, riot grrrl record labels, Slutwalks, Ladyfests, Girls Rock Camps and Free Pussy Riot protests everywhere. In musical terms the movement may never reach the mainstream, which remains as dull and change-resistant as ever. But it's not about being empowered to become a pop star, it's about how you live your life. Search out the action near you and get involved; this revolution's happening now. | The sounds and ideology of riot grrrl live on in girl bands, feminist and queer club-nights, riot grrrl record labels, Slutwalks, Ladyfests, Girls Rock Camps and Free Pussy Riot protests everywhere. In musical terms the movement may never reach the mainstream, which remains as dull and change-resistant as ever. But it's not about being empowered to become a pop star, it's about how you live your life. Search out the action near you and get involved; this revolution's happening now. |
| • Karren Ablaze!'s book Karren Ablaze!'s book about riot grrrl, The City Is Ablaze! is out now. | • Karren Ablaze!'s book Karren Ablaze!'s book about riot grrrl, The City Is Ablaze! is out now. |