The Julie Ruin w/ Allison Crutchfield and Mecca Normal
Showbox, Seattle, WA
10.08.16
“This is ombré right?” asked Kathleen Hanna regarding her purple sequined – and yes, ombré – mini dress. The Julie Ruin had just taken the stage at The Showbox in front of a dedicated Seattle crowd, on a rainy Saturday, a month before a polarizing national election.
Hanna has never been a shrinking violet, and with the July, 2016 release of TJR’s second album, Hit Reset, the front woman has plenty of tour stop platforms from which to opine. Feminists – given the plethora of tattoos, totes, and tees with obvious slogans it doesn’t feel too much of an assumption – had slowly filled in the room. While not sold out, by the time TJR took the stage there were plenty of 30-somethings (likely many from Hanna’s Le Tigre and Bikini Kill days) ready to rant, ready to feel heard.
Hanna kept up her commanding presence throughout the set, starting with the boisterous “I Decide.” She bounced around, delivering fiercely feminine and feminist and personal lyrics, all with an epic amount of joy. Hanna and keyboardist Kenny Mellman kept the banter on point as well. Between every song, their chatting felt like you were actually part of the conversation, whether it be about Mellman’s Lisa Frank-inspired beachwear outfit, or not recalling the website where you check your voter registration. But the link is definitely on Hanna’s profile.
There was a conversation with a young woman there celebrating her 18th birthday, Hanna explaining all the things she expects, from albums to a memoir. TJR doesn’t bend the truth, they live in it, they labor with its delivery, they deadpan cultural callouts over searing instruments. The balance of punk and electro-pop was key, keeping the songs short and to the point, Hanna dancing around goofily. While the crowd was polite, they were surprisingly subdued. But the appreciation was felt in the room.
Singer-songwriter Allison Crutchfield and Vancouver-based duo Mecca Normal opened the show. Crutchfield, with a debut solo full-length on the way next year, did an admirable job garnering attention with her sweet and salty piano-led tracks. Mecca Normal, formed in 1984, were their signature minimalist selves, with polarizing lyrics and winding guitar.
Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini
The Julie Ruin
Allison Crutchfield
Mecca Normal
