KATHLEEN HANNA is a much-loved iconic singer and performer. Despite cancellations last year due to ill health, her new band THE JULIE RUIN were determined to get over to the UK and here they were in the flesh, finally at Leeds. Knowing that the London show would be absolutely flooded with fans, we made a point of seeing them ahead at the more intimate and (in my humble opinion) atmospheric venue of The Brudenell Social Club.
We’d been in touch with Hanna when campaigning for Pussy Riot’s release in 2012-13, and have always been grateful for her inspirational input, both musically and politically speaking. While keeping track of her new musical endeavours, we remained concerned as she continued to struggle with bouts of the dreaded lyme disease, as documented in outstanding documentary The Punk Singer. But, with new album Run Fast embraced upon release as one of the best albums of 2013, fans were now more than ever eager to see the new Hanna band perform live.
Arriving at the famed Brudenell, the forecourt is packed with a wide range of gig-goers. It’s exciting to see so many young Hanna fans bouncing around, dressed up and ready to greet their idol, and you sense in the air something special is going to happen tonight. If you’re not here, you’re missing out…
The fabulous local trio AUTOBODIES warm up the night nicely, with a pounding set, as the venue fills to the brim. Accutely aware that they are sharing the stage tonight with a superstar, they deliver a tight and intense set. Barely any spare oxygen left in the room, the crowd are pressing to the front, and as Hanna and Co. step on stage, the front rows are already limbering up, hands in the air. THE JULIE RUIN have finally hit the UK, and after fiddling with some loose cables at the front of stage, Hanna lifts up her head with a bold “Fixed it!!” as squeals of delight fill the room.
Album track after album track is interrupted briefly by a brilliant Le Tigre cover, as Hanna chats here and there to the crowd about her thoughts on how optimism isn’t always possible for people going through difficult circumstances, touching on her health struggles and her exhaustion at being told repeatedly to see the bright side of things, and also how she’s totally ok with being seen as an oldies revival band.
Overall, Hanna seems like the happiest person in the room, as she radiates an infectious fun glow. We’ve been reminded of how bloody amazing she is live, and how THAT voice stands as one of the most iconic sounds of the modern music age.
Kenny Mellman is by far the most hilarious presence on the stage, with his pogoing self behind the keys, clapping away on cue, while Hanna demonstrates her characteristically quirky dance moves which we happily mimick throughout the show. Ex-Bikini Kill bassist Kathi Wilcox and guitarist Sara Landeau are suitably staid in contrast with their enigmatic lead singer, Carmine Covelli staying serenely focused on the drumkit.
Ending the set with the catchy Oh Come On, where Covelli can really go to town on the skins, we’re dying for more, and thankfully they come back on to nail title track Run Fast with its somewhat cheesy synth intro which I love more each time I hear it. Leeds has been well and truly smashed, the UK hearts firmly captured. And a moment in time never to be repeated in exactly the same way ever again.
London beckons…
The Electric Ballroom show is a very different affair… bigger city, bigger venue, bigger stage… Hanna comes on stage glammed up wearing tight short-pants, looking very relaxed indeed. She talks about how it’s important for activists and feminists to be ok with clashing, and not to let these things get us down even when things can’t be worked out… she’s been through her fair share of dramas over the years, and she’s had to come to terms with the friendships which have come and gone in her own life. She talks abortion rights, opening up about her own very poignant experience as a teenager (“it was the first time I took responsibility for myself”), also the Irish marriage equality referendum. And, in a jokey banter moment with bandmate Kenny, she tells him that his opinion doesn’t count coz he’s a man. But, then, he was always more than ready for that one…
The music is on point tonight and the band seem at home, though the atmosphere is far less electric compared to the Leeds show. But Hanna is back and we’re all better for it…