“The most bugged-out shit I’ve ever heard”: Kathleen Hanna’s favourite song by The Slits
When the revolutionary sounds of riot grrrl first hit the airwaves during the early 1990s, it was Bikini Kill leading the charge. Fronted by the musical force of nature that is Kathleen Hanna, the group forever altered the portrayal of women in punk music, pioneering a wonderfully abrasive sound backed with politically charged feminist activism. Hanna and the riot grrrl movement as a whole were endlessly innovative and blazed a trail for countless future artists to follow in their path. But, of course, no revolution is orchestrated alone.
Punk music, as a genre, has a history which stretches far further back than many people give it credit for. Often, the scene is said to have started in 1976, with the CBGB groups in New York and those playing The Roxy in London began to release music. In reality, the spirit of punk stretches as far back as early jazz music, the Beat Generation, and even the pioneering shock rock of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Throughout much of its history, however, punk has far too often been dominated by male voices.
The abrasive anger of punk seemed to align itself quite easily with toxic masculinity and macho insecurity, leading many women within the punk scene to feel outcasted or ignored. This was one of the things that the ‘girls to the front’ ethos of Bikini Kill and riot grrrl aimed to correct. However, Hanna’s group were far from being the first punk band to challenge these gender roles within the scene. Indeed, within the discography of Hanna’s group, you can clearly hear the influence of groups like Frightwig, The Bags, X-Ray Spex and even The Raincoats.
One unavoidable influence on Bikini Kill comes in the form of The Slits, Britain’s first-ever all-female punk band. Originally formed in 1976, The Slits were a group unlike any other within London’s punk movement, embracing a wide range of influences, including dub reggae and ska. Their debut album, 1979’s Cut, remains one of the finest releases of the post-punk era, existing largely in a league of its own. In addition to their unique sound, The Slits were also noted for their open discussion of gender inequality and attitudes towards women both in mainstream society and within local music scenes.
Inevitably, therefore, The Slits acted as a major influence on Kathleen Hanna and the development of the riot grrrl movement. Many of the themes and attitudes driven forward by Hanna and company had been initially discussed by The Slits decades prior. It makes sense, therefore, that Hanna is a self-confessed disciple of the band. Speaking to Spin back in 2005, Hanna listed Cut as an album that “changed [her] life”.
In particular, Hanna holds a special place in her heart for the album’s lead single, ‘Typical Girls’. “I remember getting stoned and listening to Cut in my apartment in Olympia,” she recalled, “and being, like, ‘This is the most bugged-out shit I’ve ever heard.’ Really theoretically smart and sonically full,” adding, “Bikini Kill really loved bands like The Slits and the Raincoats and ESG.”
The Slits, and ‘Typical Girls’ in particular, could easily be viewed as the blueprint for riot grrrl, denouncing and subverting expectations of femininity in favour of vibrant musical exploration and defiant punk tunes. Kathleen Hanna is one of those people that you cannot imagine not being a singer or an artist, but it is likely her body of work would have turned out very differently without the incredible influence of Britain’s first all-female punk band.
