L7  Live at The Trocadero

L7 is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. They were active from 1985 to 2001, and reunited in 2014. Due to their sound and image, they are often associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s. L7 influenced many of the riot grrrl bands of the 1990s.  Here you can see photos of  L7 Live at The Trocadero on 9/11/2015.  Getting to see Donita with her “Flying V” was a true highlight!

L7 was formed by Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner in 1985. A year prior, Gardner had performed backing vocals on the Black Flag song “Slip It In”. The punk rock duo was joined by Jennifer Finch on bass guitar and Roy Koutsky on drums. Koutsky left shortly after and was briefly replaced by Anne Anderson in 1988. After Anderson quit the band, Demetra “Dee” Plakas became the permanent drummer.
The band’s name derives from a 1950s slang phrase meaning “square”.

In 1991, the band formed Rock for Choice, a Pro-Choice women’s rights group that was supported by other prominent bands of that era including Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and Rage Against the Machine.
Their 1992 third album Bricks Are Heavy, produced by Butch Vig, was featured in Rolling Stone’s May 1999 list of ‘Essential recordings of the 1990s’, and was their most successful release.

L7’s fourth album, Hungry for Stink, was released in July 1994 and coincided with the Lollapalooza tour, on which they shared the stage with other successful acts of the era including The Smashing Pumpkins and The Breeders.
Finch left the band during the recording of their next album. Sparks and Greta Brinkman played bass on the album The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum, after which Gail Greenwood – formerly of the band Belly – became the band’s full-time bassist. In 1998, the pseudo-documentary “L7: The Beauty Process” was released, directed by Krist Novoselic.

This was a fantastic show – and I captured a few bits on video.  You can see Pretend Were Dead featured on this site, and other on our YOUTUBE channel.