The Belasco’s air was sticky, buzzing, electric- like static before a tornado on Friday Oct 3rd. L7 and Lunachicks had a gig in Downtown Los Angeles. Those bands shared the stage again, for the first time in decades, in what felt like a life event for everyone involved for L7’s Fast and Frightening 40 Years Anniversary show.
As much as I love Riot grrrl scene, the L7 legacy always stood on it’s own and I never appreciated pundits who would lump every hardcore girl under the Riot grrrl label. L7 had their own brand of feminism which included the Rock For Choice festivals that spanned over a decade and I include the times I saw them perform on the lawn of the Federal building in Westwood for causes that varied from saving rainforests, to legalizing cannabis at a time when people were still doing long prison sentences for the plant.
But what I appreciated most about L7 was that they fucking shred. Say everything and anything else you want about them, every single one of them, at the top of their craft amongst their peers. And that was still the case as of October 3rd.
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The Openers: Bonavega and CSS
Before Lunachicks cracked skulls and L7 set the Belasco stage on fire, the night opened with Bonavega and CSS, each staking their claim in the countdown to a hard indie rapture.
Bonavega came on first. They didn’t just warm up- they poked at the audience’s attention, probed how loose we were. Their sound is glam-pop-meets-retro-future, with big synths and swagger threaded with enough attitude to hint that this wasn’t going to be a soft ride. Their stage presence was playful, confident, shimmering yet sharp. As a preamble, they readied the room. People who arrived early got to see that contrast- Bonavega’s polish versus the gritty chaos to come. The lights glinted off sequins; the sound teased tightness. It was like watching the calm before the storm decide it’s had enough. Including Bonavega in this evening’s festivities was an inspired choice that serves the legacies of L7, Los Angeles and a little recognition for the legacy of Bonavega.
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After Bonavega, CSS hit. If you know CSS, you expect irreverence, danceable punkish rhythms, splashy melody, tongue-in-cheek lyrics. They moved the crowd in a different way- heads nodding, smiles spreading, bodies shifting. CSS felt like the bridge between the pop-electro outsiders and the heavier, rending sounds Lunachicks and L7 would unleash. Their timing was perfect: giving the audience a chance to loosen up, catch a buzz, but staving off complete drunkenness until the timing was just right. What these openers did well was set up tension. They teased different moods with deviant energy. By the time Lunachicks took over, the room was ready to burn.
Lunachicks: Lightning in a Bottle
When Lunachicks hit the stage, it was like a cork popped. The sound was sharp, jagged, immediate- the vocal attack cut through the Belasco’s chandeliers. They didn’t ease in. It was forced entry. I don’t remember the setlist, but I remember the roaring and ripping.
Instagram posts later showed fans saying, “They blew the roof off.” One fan called it “raw energy resurrected.” It was that. The Lunachicks were exactly what they were always meant to be: brutally funny, biting, untameable but most importantly, a supreme weapons cache of musicians. They challenged. They dared. They ripped through chords like they were tearing out lies. If you thought age mellows punk, you were wrong.
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L7: Bulls of the Ball
When L7 emerged, the Belasco’s floor seemed to stiffen for a moment before it’s elasticity returned. They leaned into every second: the riffs, the rests, the silent threats. Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner, Jennifer Finch, Demetra Plakas- celebrating 40 years. They were living a mission. That moment of being in sync, seeing each other across the stage and closing those gaps… it’s the look of a band that has survived war and can communicate with just one look.
I’ve seen L7 more than a dozen times and i’ll see them a dozen more, if I’m that lucky. They have pretty much settled into standard set lists that start with the newer anthems like “Andres”. They hit my favorite classics off Smell The Magic when L7 had more of a metal/stoner rock feel than that of a punk or alternative band. Songs like “Shove”, “‘Till The Wheels Fall Off”, “Fast and Frightening” and “Broomstick”- The real grimy years when Donita’s dread was forming. But then the pop nostalgia of their MTV, John Waters, Bricks Are Heavy era- “Slide”, “Scrap”, “Shitlist”, and my all time favorite L7 track, “Wargasm”. These are two of my favorite albums of all time and L7 still plays them like it’s 1999.
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You weren’t watching a band that’s been slowed down by their 40 years together; you were watching a rock and roll command outpost that knew how to move their troops, their gear and their adoring soldiers with less effort and more impact. Pretty dope.
The pit isn’t sustained anymore but Gen X isn’t any less enthusiastic about L7 as was evidenced by this sold out show and sing alongs.
There were peaks. Those moments where the crowd became part of the song. Where hands raised like antennas, and bodies shook to the beat. Where sweat and feedback braided into the same tone. That’s the kind of energy L7 commands so casually. You forget how heavy it is until someone rips it open in front of you.
Collision and Communion
The greatest tension all night: the overlap between L7 and Lunachicks. The spiritual connection. You could feel Lunachicks’ fire feeding L7’s furnace, and L7’s weight giving Lunachicks grounding. Sometimes they winked. Sometimes they snarled. Sometimes they leaned into each other. Almost like sibling fighters who’d been apart too long. There was definitely a sense of friendly competition and why not- these were two of the best bands in their era and what might’ve been once an aversion to being tied together by their anatomy and skill now seemed like a point of pride.
What mattered was the communion.
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After the Show
The evening was capped off upstairs by the afterparty that was hosted and DJ’d by the incomparable Vanessa Burgundy. I missed this part of the evening and as it goes with such things…. I heard a conga line broke out. You know you fucked up whenever you miss a conga line.
Walking out, ears ringing, heart mashed, you knew this show would linger. You’d wake up tomorrow hearing riffs spun in your head. You’d text your friends. You’d try to capture the feeling again in writing, image, memory- but you’d fail because the live part, the fire part, lives only in that room.
L7’s 40th anniversary show with Lunachicks at the Belasco was a statment. Not a party, not a tribute- a defiant “still here” scream.
And if you missed it- well, you missed something that you’ll probably never see again and that’s ok, just move on. Life is filled with special moments. This just happens to be one you missed.
Words by Danny Baraz
Photos by Albert Licano
