Bikini Kill & CB Radio Gorgeous
April 13, 2023
Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON
Canadian Beats Passport
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a couple of years since Bikini Kill had to reschedule their North American tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 13th, during the first of two sold-out shows at the Danforth music hall, the band proved the wait well worth it. Bikini Kill was joined by CB Radio Gorgeous, who opened.
CB Radio Gorgeous is a punk band from Chicago that revives the classic riot-grrrl attitude with newfangled vocals and melodies. They played a stirring opening set that proved that there is still an audience for new stripped-down punk sounds.
When it was time for Bikini Kill to play, the venue was full of young and old fans, each proudly rocking their ripped fishnets, plaid garments, or girlish dresses. Most importantly, there was no tolerance for anybody to be anything besides themselves.
Frontwoman of Bikini Kill, Kathleen Hanna, preached intolerance for bigotry and acts of hate between songs that had the crowd dancing with hopeful rage.
The Bikini Kill show was exactly what any fan could have hoped for. Tobi Vail even snuck out from behind the drums to sing while Hanna took the bass, and a band-wide rotation of instruments occurred. The music was just as important as it was during the band’s most significant point of success in the nineties and remains equally powerful in front of younger audiences present today. Bikini Kill, thank you for the best therapy out there.
