Why There's Nothing Wrong With Being A Little Misunderstood

LA all-female punk group L7's name originated as a slang '50s term for someone who was "square", an epithet which could not have been further from the truth for the firebrand rockers.

Forming in the mid-'80s, they toiled in relative obscurity for years before being swept into the mainstream by the grunge-inspired alt-rock tidal wave of the early '90s, where their fierce music and uncompromising attitude delighted and alienated people in equal measure.

Now after a 15-year hiatus they've returned refreshed as a live force, not just playing to followers from back in the day but also to new generations of younger fans who've been embracing both the band's music and its underlying message.

"Every time we would go into a town again there would be a girl band that had started up because they'd seen us the last time we went through town."

"Some of the feminism that came out of the grunge movement was a really cool thing, and I think that young people really want to see a piece of that history because it was kind of important," vocalist/guitarist Donita Sparks reflects. "I actually think that it's one of the overlooked legacies of the grunge era, how many women were playing and how for a brief moment it kind of killed misogyny for a little while in rock'n'roll."

Given that L7 actually predated grunge by years they probably partly inspired that attitude themselves. "I think so," Sparks agrees. "We were touring before we were famous and it seemed like every time we would go into a town again there would be a girl band that had started up because they'd seen us the last time we went through town. I definitely saw it growing, more and more women playing as we'd go around the country back in the day.

"And we were art-punk rockers that got embraced by the metal scene as well, so we kinda that this weird anomaly where we started from the art-punk scene and then the hardcore punk rockers liked us and then the metal people liked us, so we were kinda crossing boundaries that way too.

"It was fun to infiltrate the masses and not just stay underground. It was fun to get on TV and get into teenagers' living rooms in the suburbs. It was, like, 'What is this weird rock band?' Just like every cool rock band did before us, it was how we all saw some bands for the first time - when you're at a young age and you're sitting there with your parents in the living room and it's, like, 'Oh my God, what is this?' and your parents are bitching about it but you're like, 'Oh my God, I fucking love this!'"

L7's music also contained an inherent humour which further helped their appeal. "We're pretty funny gals, believe it or not," Sparks laughs. "It's weird: some people like us because they think we're funny and embrace absurdity and get it, while other fans just think we're like this fierce, pissed-off rock band. And we're both! It's fun to be both, and it's fun to be misunderstood by a lot of people too. I think years ago I would get very frustrated that we were misunderstood, but now I think it's really funny."