Bratmobile - The Peel Session

Photo by Pat Graham

If Bikini Kill was the riot grrrl band we aspired to, then Bratmobile was closest to what we'd become. A less shitty analogy: Bikini Kill was the crush a year or two ahead of you in high school; Bratmobile was the girl in your grade who you'd skateboard with and get kicked out of prom with.

Neither of those are putdowns of Bratmobile. I just felt an approachability with Bratmobile that I never got from B.K. As such, I'd like to go back in time and kick my own ass for not finding a way to see them at their 1999 reunion show in DC. I'll admit it; Braid was playing the same night in Baltimore with Kind of Like Spitting, and it was a righteous show. But I still feel some regret.

Enough about me. On to the recording. This was taped right after Bratmobile recorded their "The Real Janelle" 12", and was ultimately their only recording for John Peel's radio show. There's a quick Blur cover, as well as an early version of "And I Live In A Town Where The Boys Amputate Their Hearts" and a trio of cuts from "Pottymouth". All cut live to tape at Maida Vale. Delightful times. May all bands sound as vital and authentic as they do here.

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