After more than a decade of touring the world as one of the most-loved post-Riot Grrrl rock bands, in 2006, Sleater-Kinney announced they were going on hiatus, a break that lasted almost a decade more. In guitarist Carrie Brownstein’s autobiography, Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl, released today, fans discover the painful truth is that a very sick Brownstein had a breakdown at a gig in Brussels, attempting to punch her own face into oblivion.
Fast forward to 2015, and this terrifying fact can be viewed in the context of the band’s triumphant return with the No Cities To Love album and tour, and the enormous mainstream success of Brownstein’s hipster sketch show Portlandia, available on Netflix in the UK and filming its sixth season in the US.
An ode to the DIY music scenes in the Pacific Northwest, Olympia, Seattle and Portland, the book also takes in Brownstein’s family history, her relationship with band member Corin Tucker and the development of Sleater-Kinney as a band, its demise and eventual resurrection.
To celebrate the book’s release, enjoy the results of our YouTube deep dive into Sleater-Kinney’s phenomenal live archive…
Seattle, 1999
Featuring Start Together, Be Yr Mama and Words & Guitar. Marvel at Brownstein’s one leg dancing.
Florida, 2003
It seems like a pretty weird combination, but Sleater-Kinney toured with Pearl Jam in 2005. In the book, Brownstein is clear about her respect for lead vocalist Eddie Vedder, who was a huge cheerleader for the band, once comparing Brownstein and Tucker to Jagger and Richards. Here’s an adorable singalong of Rockin in the Free World.
Coachella, 2006
The year Sleater-Kinney disbanded, playing Jumpers, a song Brownstein wrote while she was suffering from depression about people committing suicide from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
Portland, 2006
At their farewell gig at the Crystal Ballroom, playing One More Hour, before having a group hug and leaving the stage for what fans then thought would be the very last time.
London, 2015
Touring No Cities To Love, their first album in a decade, Sleater-Kinney play the record’s first single, Bury Our Friends, at the Roundhouse in London earlier this year.