The punk rock outfit Bikini Kill have announced a set of 2020 tour dates, which will kick off with a benefit show for Interfaith Works in Olympia, Washington. This tour is international, with the band making appearances across North America and Europe, before finishing off in August at the Øya Festival in Oslo, Norway.
Earlier this year the band ventured on their first tour since their break up back in 1997, which saw them perform across a few metropolitan areas such as New York City, London and Chicago. The band was joined by Joan Jett during a performance of their 1993 classic “Rebel Girl.”
Bikini Kill formed in 1990 in Olympia, Washington, where they helped pioneer part of the underground feminist punk movement, where they became noted for their energetic live performances and feminist lyrics. Their music was helped shaped by the hardcore movement, and the group eventually released four studio albums before their original break up.
Their reunion reignited an old feud between Courtney Love and the band, which began as far back as 1995. Love posted “Speak for yourself. Biggest hoax in history of rock and roll . 🖤💕” in response to the band’s reunion on an Instagram post, and continued with “Yeah. It’s worse when I speak truth to rock male industrial complex. But at least I have the best view. Two of that band total amateurs. Hanna is a good hype man. But her persona is such a diy nonsense dilettante. A big idea they cannot convey, because they suck. That’s all! Back to Paris couture, because frocks don’t trigger me. Ce vai!”
This feud allegedly stemmed from an incident at 1995’s Lollapalooza Festival, which has conflicting accounts, however a physical confrontation between Love and Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna has been mentioned by multiple sources.
UPDATE (12/10): Bikini Kill has added several new dates to their 2020 tour plans. They’ll be playing a show at New York City’s Prospect Park, Red Rock Amphitheatre and Burger Boogaloo, their first live appearance in the Bay Area in 25 years. They’ve also added second dates in Seattle, Silver Springs and Portland. See the full list of shows below:
Bikini Kill 2020 Tour
03/13 Olympia, WA – Capitol Theater &
03/16 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre &
03/17 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre #
03/19 Victoria, British Columbia – Distrikt !
03/23 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom &
03/23 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom ^
05/10 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
05/12 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
05/13 Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
05/14 Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
05/16 South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
05/18 Montreal, Quebec – M Telus
05/19 Toronto, Ontario – Danforth Music Hall
05/20 Toronto, Ontario – Danforth Music Hall
05/22 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre
05/23 Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
05/24 Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater
07/11 Oakland, CA – Burger Boogaloo
08/04 Brooklyn, NY – Prospect Park
08/12 Oslo, Norway – Øya Festival
10/21 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
& with Table Sugar
^ with Lithics
! with Mecca Normal