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My first, actually, only time to see Bikini Kill live was at one of many reboots of the legendary Antenna Club in Memphis, TN.

I got there early. Not many people yet. (It’s Memphis, so even when the crowd showed up, there was still not many people… ) I noticed a cute girl playing an outdated video game in the corner of the bar. Asteroids, Centipede, something like that. She looked kinda cool. When she finished the game and turned around, I knew that she was Kathleen Hanna.

Did I recognize her face right off? No. This was back in the day when not everyone you knew had the internet, or the internet on their phone.

This was back in the day when Bust Magazine wasn’t available on your local book/music store. This was back in the day when just about the only photos you saw of an indie artist was whatever they included with the cd/album. But I knew it was her. How?

When she turned around, I saw the front of the band t-shirt she was wearing. The band? The Jam.

Even though Memphis has produced some great music, and even though there might be some cool chicks here, none, and I mean NONE of them would be wearing a Jam t-shirt. I still live in Memphis and I still have not seen anyone else here wearing a Jam t-shirt. Boy or girl.

And that’s what I remember about my first Bikini Kill show. Well, that and the fact that they f’n rocked!

David Jett