Bratmobile, Downtown Boys, & Cumgirl8 @ Warsaw

The Riot Grrl legends headlined a masterful night of punk rock in Brooklyn along with a pair of terrific scene mainstays

This past weekend, Riot Grrl legends Bratmobile took to the stage at Brooklyn’s Warsaw for their first show in New York City since 2002. Walking out to the wistful sounds of Irene Cara’s ’80s pop ballad “Flashdance…What A Feeling,” the reunited punk trio took fans on a ride through their impeccable discography, including tracks off their three studio albums Pottymouth, Ladies, Women and Girls, and Girls Get Busy. “This is crazy!” singer Allison Wolfe exclaimed at the audience reaction to their opening track “Love Thing.” They delivered a galvanizing set capped off with a throttling cover of The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb.” It was everything that longtime fans had dreamed of.

Earlier in the night, like-minded feminist punk titans Downtown Boys warmed up the crowd with a defiant and incendiary set of their own. The band performed their fiery tunes with a backdrop of visuals by Yasmina, including snippets of the history of occupation in Palestine along with documentary footage. In between tracks, Victoria Ruiz shouted out her mom in the crowd, and read a poignant letter from a 14-year-old Palestinian girl that was addressed to her mother, and which was published in The Nation.

Prior to that, NYC post-punk up-and-comers Cumgirl8 opened with a raucous (and slightly raunchy) set that sent the night into action. All in all, a spectacular night of female-fronted punk, anchored by one of the best to ever do it. You can scroll through for some of the highlights!