Los Angeles art-punk veterans L7 have seen it all, from playing Raji’s in Hollywood in the ’80s, to the grunge circuit in the ’90s, to huge punk and metal festivals all over the world. “We feel at home in a lot of places,” said L7 co-founder Donita Sparks, “and we feel out of place in a lot of places.” In many of those places, especially in the early days, L7 was one of the few bands — if not the only band — that was all female.
So when L7 started putting together its own festival, the Fast and Frightening Takeover at the Belasco on Nov. 23, Sparks made sure women had a powerful presence. “It’s called Fast and Frightening because that’s the kind of bands that I wanted,” Sparks said.
“Bands with chutzpah and style, something kind of threatening and in your face.” Joining L7 at the festival are groups with dynamic performers such as Surfbort, Adult., Olivia Jean, the Paranoyds and NIIS.
“Each band has their own style,” Sparks said. Surfbort singer Dani Miller called the festival “a dream come true” and was thrilled to be part of the lineup. “It’s super heavy on the women band members, women bands and women-led bands,” Miller said.
“I think that’s special because a lot of festivals, no offense, are kind of bro-centric. It’s cool to have L7 take the lead and mix it up.” Once word got out about the festival, bands started contacting Sparks and offering to play, but “I really wanted that powerhouse second band,” Sparks said.
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