What do you get when you put seven publications staffers in a feminist punk concert in Seattle’s most famous all-ages venue? A good time. Chances are that most FHS students haven’t heard of Sleater-Kinney. They may even think it’s a name for a shoe company or the title of Pearl Jam’s next release. But this female trio from Olympia, Wash., showed the musical benefits of feminist punk to five Arrow staffers, two yearbook staffers and 600 other people at their show at the RKCNDY (pronounced “Rock Candy”) in Seattle on April 18. Playing an increasingly rare all-ages show at the famous venue, local bands Little Red Car Wreck, the Bangs and Lois opened for Sleater-Kinney at a packed show in the small, black, murky club. Little Red Car Wreck had the dubious honor of warming up the diverse crowd. Considering that this duo had only played two shows before, the performance was admirable. The Bangs came out and immediately took the crowd’s breath away with their smooth, loud, power punk. The drummer (who was the only male in all four bands) broke three drumsticks in the first song, setting the precedent for the Bangs’ entire set. From beginning to end, the Bangs were loud, effective and kept the crowd moving. Lois was a surprise. With only an acoustic guitar and a microphone, she relied on strong vocals and beautiful chord progressions, instead of the punk mainstay — noise. Then came Sleater-Kinney. The concrete floor by the stage quickly filled, as floods of fans gathered to honor the rock goddesses. S-K’s set was a change from their other shows, mixing old and new songs from their upcoming album. This took the crowd by surprise, as many were hoping to scream along with old favorites. It was a tight set, with powerful drumming from Janet Weiss countered by strong guitars and vocals from Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker. This enjoyable night also came at a good price. The price of admission to this four-band show, a T-shirt and a 7-inch single was $20 — at least $2 cheaper than the cost of admission to a typical show. Try getting that at a Bush concert. The entire concert, from beginning to end, was entrancing and fascinating. The atmosphere was one of the best of any concert that any of us had attended, with no mosh pit, no crowd surfing and no injuries. The crowd that attended the S-K show was there to have a good time, not maim people. Grunge may have died, and people may think that the Seattle scene is deceased as well, but the April 18 show at the RKCNDY showed seven Montanans that Seattle’s punk, folk and feminist rock scene is alive, thriving and a lot of fun. |
