Sini Anderson’s directorial debut The Punk Singer perfectly reflects its protagonist Kathleen Hanna – both are energetic, chaotic and totally compelling. In the 1990s Hanna fused her punk spirit and love of music to her feminist ideals, and emerged as a figurehead of the Riot Grrrl movement. This documentary follows Hanna from her first performances as a spoken word poet in the Olympia grunge scene, through her time as the lead singer of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre and the rise of the Riot Grrrl movement, and finishes with her current project, The Julie Ruin. Using archive gig footage, and interviews with Hanna, former band mates and fellow contemporaries (including Kim Gordon and Adam Horovitz), The Punk Singer offers an honest intimate picture of Hanna and the scene she inhabits.

Until Thu 26 Jun, Cornerhouse, Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 5NH. Tel: 0161 200 1500, Tue 4pm, Wed 6pm, Thu 4pm, £6-8, www.cornerhouse.org

Tue 24 Jun - Thu 26 Jun
Words:
Frank Balmer
Published on:
Tue 24 Jun 2014