On Saturday night, the final one of a three-night event for the release of Pitchfork editor Jen Pelly’s new book about The Raincoats, Kathleen Hanna, Kathi Wilcox, and Tobi Vail all reunited at New York venue The Kitchen. The band performed “For Tammy Rae”, and it was the first time they had played together since breaking up in 1997.
The surprise performance, which even Pelly wasn’t expecting, was put together by the venue and Raincoats collaborator Shirley O’Loughlin. The Washington-born Bikini Kill were a seminal part of the Riot Grrrl movement until their breakup in 1997, lashing out with feminist punk anthems like “Rebel Girl” and “Suck My Left One”.
“For Tammy Rae” is from the band’s 1993 album Pussy Whipped, on which Hanna pays tribute to her friend, artist Tammy Rae Carland. The Raincoats then took to the stage to perform.
While Bikini Kill haven't been together for two decades, lead singer Kathleen Hanna released music in 2016 with her electroclash band Le Tigre, the pro-Hillary tune “I'm With Her”, their first release since 2004’s The Island. Hanna has spent the subsequent years working on The Julie Ruin with Kathi Wilcox, releasing Hit Reset last year too.
You can watch the clip of their reunion below.
