Riot grrrl greats Bratmobile officially returned to the stage after 20 years this weekend at the Mosswood Meltdown festival in Oakland (after making their unofficial return with a secret show in Los Angeles a few days before).
The Mosswood Meltdown set was punctuated by a special performance of the Runaways’ song, “Cherry Bomb,” which Bratmobile covered on their 1993 debut, Pottymouth. For the ecstatic closer, the band received an assist from the Linda Lindas, as well as the daughters of Bratmobile’s drummer Molly Neumann and keys player Audrey Mars (plus some friends the kids had just made at a rock camp).
“It was funny because we did a warm up kind of unannounced warmups show in LA like last Wednesday, and they also came up for ‘Cherry Bomb,’ with the Linda Lindas,” vocalist Allison Wolfe tells Rolling Stone. “We gave one of the mics to the little girls, and they were really cute, but they were kind of too shy to sing. So, I was like, ‘Hey, if they’re not gonna sing, we’re gonna give both mics to the Linda Lindas next time. They can be on stage and dance, but if they’re not gonna sing, we’re giving away the mics.’”
Wolfe adds with a laugh: “So Audrey gave them like a stern talking to — and they really brought it this time!”
Bratmobile announced their return back in February with a lineup featuring original members Wolfe and Neuman, alongside Tiger Trap’s Rose Melberg on guitar, Marrs on keys, and Marty Key on bass. Original guitarist Erin Smith was unable to join due to “other commitments.”
While Smith was missed, Wolfe says “channeled her in a lot of ways,” especially when it came to picking the setlist. “I think I said, people just want to hear the oldies but goodies, because that’s also what Erin Smith says,” she quipped. And while the band definitely did include plenty of material from Pottymouth, Wolfe ventures that there was a good balance with their 2000 LP, Ladies, Women and Girls.
Wolfe also relished expanding Bratmobile from a trio to a quintet, saying Marrs’ keys and Key’s bass bolstered the band’s sounds. She adds, “And what was really cool with having Audrey and Rose was they’re singing back-ups. Molly and Erin never did; I just think they didn’t want to sing and play at the same time — I get it, I can’t even play an instrument! I can only do one thing at a time. But for me, it was really great having backing vocals. It’s really funny to to have other people singing my ridiculous lyrics.”
Bratmobile’s reunion set at Mosswood Meltdown was featured on the festival’s official livestream, which is still available on Twitch. The performance begins around the 7:24:00 mark, though the intro delivered by festival host John Waters (at 7:21:30) is absolutely worth watching. “It’s not a comeback, it’s a back-handed slap to nostalgia!” the filmmaker quipped, before adding, “Mothers against punk drivers will never stop this group!”
Along with “Cherry Bomb,” Bratmobile’s set included songs such as “Love Thing,” “I’m in the Band,” “Bitch Theme,” “Kiss and Ride,” “Panik,” and “Come Hither.” Near the end of the set, Melberg was invited to sing her Tiger Trap classic, “Supreme Nothing.” (Tiger Trap’s first official release was a split seven-inch single with Bratmobile in 1992.)
Prior to Mosswood Meltdown, Bratmobile played a secret warm-up gig at the L.A. venue Zebulon last Wednesday, July 28. From that gig, fans have shared videos of “I’m in the Band” and “Bitch Theme.”
Bratmobile’s last public performance was a Sept. 9, 2002 gig in New York City. The band did get together in 2019 for a special birthday performance for Bikini Kill’s Tobi Vail, which sparked discussion about a possible reunion.
While Bratmobile haven’t announced any additional concerts yet, Wolfe says the band would like to play more and “some of the offers are coming in.” She’s hopeful Smith will be able to rejoin the group as well, and teases another tantalizing possibility: “We might try to do something with the Linda Lindas. That’d be awesome, we really love them.”
This story was updated at 4:45 p.m. ET with quotes from Allison Wolfe.