Fred Armisen spent a late March night at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, but the famed Saturday Night Live alum wasn’t there for laughs; he’d shown up to support Carrie Brownstein, his former collaborator on hit sketch comedy series Portlandia, and her indie rock band, Sleater-Kinney.
Carrie and her crew, including fellow singer-guitarist Corin Tucker, played to a packed weeknight crowd on Thursday before taking over the Belasco in downtown L.A. on Friday. Though Carrie did, at times, let slip her humorous side between songs, she, Tucker, and the band played it straight through a hard-driving and even-harder-rocking set that lasted nearly two hours.
Corin’s powerful, angsty voice filled every crevice and cranny of The Wiltern with the same rebellious angst that’s been Sleater-Kinney’s hallmark since their formation in Olympia, Washington in 1994. Carrie took her turns at the mic, as well, in between jumping around and jamming on guitar. Together, they created an infectious energy that still holds up after all these years.
This being the Little Rope tour, Corin, Carrie, and company pulled plenty from their latest release of the same name. The deeply personal nature of the record—which came together after Carrie’s mother and stepfather died in a traffic accident—all but demanded catharsis.
Tracks from their 2024 album came early and often, with “Hell”, “Needlessly Wild”, and “Small Finds” as three of the first four songs. New tunes like “Hunt You Down”, “Don’t Feel Right”, “Six Mistakes”, and “Dress Yourself” made appearances throughout the set, with “Untidy Creature” coming in as the initial closer and “Say It Like You Mean It” squeezing into the four-song encore.
In fact, only one song from Little Rope—”Crusader”—didn’t make the cut. After all, they had 10 other albums to shout out, and only so much time in which to do it. Nevertheless, Sleater-Kinney just about made it work, thanks in no small part to the short-and-snappy nature of their extensive catalog. And judging by the raucous reaction throughout, nobody in the building had any qualms with the song choices. Even Fred stuck around until the end.
Many more fans will flock to see Sleater-Kinney between now and the end of August. Following their stint in L.A., they head north for a pair of weekend performances in San Francisco before circling around the Pacific Northwest en route to Australia and New Zealand. Come summer, they’ll be back in North America for Summerfest in Milwaukee, Osheaga in Montreal, and a gig with Amyl and the Sniffers in Portland ahead of a three-week spin around Europe. Find a full list of tour dates on the band’s website.
