Bikini Kill, '90s Riot Grrrl Icon, Announces Back-to-Back Miami Shows

The concerts, which are set to happen at the Ground on Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13, will be presented in collaboration with Sweat Records.

By Douglas Markowitz

February 25, 2020

Bikini Kill is coming to Miami for two nights. Photo by Debi Del Grande

Audio By Carbonatix

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Grrrls, prepare to riot: Bikini Kill is coming to Miami this fall for a pair of shows at the Ground.

The seminal band of the '90s feminist punk movement known as riot grrrl (the three r's are mandatory), the fearsome foursome of singer Kathleen Hanna, bassist Kathi Wilcox, drummer Tobi Vail, and guitarist Billy Karren led the charge against the ingrown sexism of punk and DIY culture, first in the bandmates' hometown of Olympia, Washington, and then around the world. Songs such as "Rebel Girl" and "I Like Fucking" displayed their militant, angry feminism for all to see, but backlash from the media and the co-oping of their radical message by the likes of the Spice Girls and others led the members to call it quits and move on to bands such as Le Tigre and the Julie Ruin.

Fortunately, Bikini Kill's message of female political power resonates today. The bandmates reunited last year for a series of sold-out shows in New York, Los Angeles, London, and a headline set at Chicago's Riot Fest (Billy Karren was replaced by Erica Dawn Lyle on guitar, while Hanna, Wilcox, and Vail remain).

Now, thanks to the folks at Sweat Records — a proudly female-owned record shop, by the way — Bikini Kill will play two back-to-back performances in Miami this September. The concerts are scheduled to happen the weekend of September 12. Tickets for both shows will be available via Eventbrite beginning at 11 a.m. EST this Friday. According to Bikini Kill's official tour itinerary, a fan presale will begin at 11 a.m. this Thursday.

Check out this excellent poster by artist Brian Butler, and prepare for Revolution Girl Style — in a few months.

click to enlarge

Bikini Kill performing in Miami as interpreted by Brian Butler.

Artwork by Brian Butler

Here are Bikini Kill's recently announced fall 2020 tour dates:

September 12 - Miami, FL @ the Ground

September 13 - Miami, FL @ the Ground

September 15 - Orlando, FL @ the Plaza Live

September 16 - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall

September 18 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle

September 19 - Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theater

September 20 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel

September 22 - Knoxville, TN @ the Mill & Mine

September 23 - Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall

September 26 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse

September 27 - Birmingham, AL @ Iron City

October 21 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Bikini Kill. Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13, at the Ground, 34 NE 11th St., Miami; 305-375-0001; thegroundmiami.com. Tickets will be available via eventbrite.com beginning Friday, February 28.

Douglas Markowitz has covered art and music in South Florida for nearly a decade, with stories published by Resident Advisor, the Miami Herald, the Sun Sentinel, Artburst, Burnaway, and principally the Miami New Times, where he interned in 2017. In 2023 he was named a finalist for the Knight-Esserman Journalism Award. He is a University of North Florida graduate and former culture editor at the Phoenix New Times.

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