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| Sleater-Kinney @ Stern Grove (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Sleater-Kinney brought a 21-song, full-volume punk concert to a full Sunday afternoon crowd at San Francisco’s beloved Stern Grove Festival last Sunday in a display of their continued power and relevance. Co-founders Carrie Brownstein and Corin Turker delivered a set that went deep into the band’s catalog while also spotlighting some of the newer songs off their phenomenal 2024 album “Little Rope.” The duo of Sleater-Kinney with Destroy Boys opener seemed a perfect fit for the final day of Pride Weekend in San Francisco as the parade wrapped up on the other side of town.
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| Sleater-Kinney @ Stern Grove (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Many in the audience of the always diverse weekly festival lineup may have best known Sleater-Kinney co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist Carrie Brownstein from the hit show Portlandia where she starred opposite SNL alumni (and accomplished drummer) Fred Armisen. But this was the second San Francisco festival appearance for the band in recent times as they also delivered a great (but shorter) set at last October’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Brownstein was a driving force at all times – matching her distinctive guitar style with constant movement and compelling facial expressions that alternate between ferocity and joy.
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| Sleater-Kinney @ Stern Grove (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
After opening with “Price Tag” and “Bury Our Friends,” the Brownstein delivered a terrific version of the pop punk “Needlessly Wild” off their phenomenal 2024 album “Little Rope.” The song provided riveting balance of the sound of 80’s Los Angeles girl groups with a harder punk edge.
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| Sleater-Kinney @ Stern Grove (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Brownstein introduced the fourth song “The End of You” as “shouting out the people who are brave enough to be themselves.” Brownstein was a never-resting dervish during the song as banged her head, kicked, jumped and even did a Pete Townsend windmill guitar move while Tucker sang most of the song’s lead vocals.
Drummer Angie Boylan drove a fast tempo version of “Hunt You Down” off the new album. Brownstein and Tucker leaned heavily into the threatening (and oh so true) chorus of: 'The thing you fear the most will hunt you down.'
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| Sleater-Kinney @ Stern Grove (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
With a touch of sadness obvious in her voice, Tucker introduced “The Future is Here” as a song originally written “when Trump was first elected and we were feeling bad. It’s about being close to the people who can get you through something really tough…You need people who are close to you to build a coalition to fight against the hatred that is happening right now,” she told the crowd. “That’s what we are going to fight it with – Love.”
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| Sleater-Kinney @ Stern Grove (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Brownstein later made mention of the fact that it was a bit awkward to be playing loud punk music in the middle of the afternoon, but then seemed to catch herself and said, “But if not here in San Francisco, then where?” The band held nothing back –even busting out a live debut of the new album’s “This Time” and performing “Far Away” off 2002’s “One Beat” for the first time in eight years. They ended their set with a three-song encore of covering both the Ramones’ “Judy is a Punk” and Green Day’s “Holiday” before blazing through a raucous version 2005’s “Entertain.” “Thank you so much,” Brownstein told the crowd. “Stay safe. Stay vigilant. Stay f@#king awesome! We love you guys.”
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| Sleater-Kinney @ Stern Grove (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Destroy Boys led off the day with a fun and compelling set that saw them bring their punk and metal energy with an infectiously fun spirit. Lead vocalist Alexia Roditis, wearing a Malcom X t-shirt, was constantly in motion across the stage – skipping back and forth. Guitarist Violet Mayugba, who co-founded the Sacramento band in 2015, had a wide smile throughout the show as she whipped her long black hair and occasionally took over lead vocals.
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| Destroy Boys @ Stern Grove (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The band’s traditional four-person lineup that included drummer Narsai Malik and bassist David Orozco were joined by Jigsaw Youth guitarist Nastacha Beck who loaded their live act with a depth of sound and added a cool metal look to the band. The band had the capacity crowd dancing and applauding throughout their set as they connected with audience with both their music and their messages of defiance and acceptance.
