After bassist Jennifer Finch’s death, feminist punk rockers L7 to play Philly one last time

In a 1992 interview on MTV’s Headbangers Ball, host Vanessa Warwick chatted with Los Angeles alt-rock legends L7. The interview is exactly what you’d expect: snarky and funny, with Warwick asking questions about the band’s career, touring, and the challenges of being an all-female band in the male-dominated world of rock music. When the subject of the band’s history comes up, drummer Dee Plankas, guitarist Donita Sparks, and bassist Jennifer Finch launch into a self-deprecating bit about how long the band has been around: 

Warwick: “You’ve been around since the late ‘80s?”

Sparks: “Since the Middle Ages!” 

Plankas: ”Since the psychedelic ‘60s…”

Finch: “Us, The Temptations. The Four Tops, we all used to jam. Those were the days, huh ladies?” 

The real story is that Sparks and guitarist Suzi Gardner started the band in 1986 or ‘85. This period in LA’s music scene was particularly fertile as punk bands like Black Flag and X coexisted with psychedelic “paisley underground” bands and glammy metal acts like Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses. By the time L7 released their self-titled album in 1988, they had refined their cheeky blend of political punk and riff-heavy metal. In the four years between their 1988 debut and their third album, 1992’s Bricks Are Heavy, the music industry shifted dramatically. Nirvana’s 1991 release of Nevermind is often cited as the moment rock pivoted away from hair metal toward alternative rock. But this shift was already underway before “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit MTV and radio. The groundswell of excitement around underground rock ensured the landscape was a bit friendlier for a band like L7. Although their popularity peaked in the mid-’90s, the band has remained beloved, touring and consistently releasing new music up until 2019’s Scatter The Rats. 

In July of this year, a shocking development in the L7 story took the music world by surprise. Longtime bassist Jennifer Finch had passed away following a brutal battle with brain cancer. Finch had been gearing up to release her memoir Shooting Up and Making Out: A Memoir of My Life in LA and L7. In her New York Times obituary, a quote from a 1994 Billboard interview beautifully summed up Finch’s outlook and L7’s musical ethos:

“Punk rock doesn’t have anything to do with poverty or musical style. It’s an attitude that everyone in this band grew up so inundated with ideologically that it will always be a part of us. It’s like growing up in Sweden—no matter where you go, all your experiences are filtered through that.”

In the wake of Finch’s passing, the band has embarked on their final world tour, the aptly named “The Last Hurrah Tour.” On Oct. 22, L7 will bring The Last Hurrah to town at Brooklyn Bowl Philly. Former bassist Janis Tanaka will take Finch’s place as the band revisits a number of their fiery, grungy classics. Grab a ticket when you can for your last chance to catch one of the best bands of the ‘90s rock revolution.