Young Punk Power: Kim Theory Embrace Love, Positivity and Opportunity at Lollapalooza
By Dahlia Kelly – Photos by Dennis Kelly
Dahlia: So you guys played last night, opening for Finn Wolfhard. How was that?
Audrey: It was so fun. The venue was super cool. It was such an amazing experience. Yeah, and he was amazing.
Lucy: It was an incredible show. I think we played like one of our best. Watching Finn afterward was also incredible; he did great. And yeah, like what Audrey said, the venue was awesome.
Lula: The crowd was great.
Lucy: Yeah, and getting to play with, like, I know we all watch Stranger Things, so getting to play with someone from Stranger Things was crazy. It was so awesome.
Lula: Yeah, his songs were like really good. Yeah.
Audrey: I love his songs, and they have like a violinist up there. It was so cool, and they were all super nice.
Dahlia: So, are you able to see any other sets here, or are you guys going to be here all four days?
Lula: We will be here. We’re definitely going to see some music today. Gonna see Charli XCX. They’re (Lucy and Audrey) going to see Smashing Pumpkins. Well, tomorrow we’re definitely seeing Die Spitz, Frost Children, Geese, and DJ Trixie Mettel.
Dahlia: Does anyone have formal lessons, or are you self-taught?
Audrey: So I started singing lessons when I was six, but as far as instruments go, I don’t play any instruments in the band, but I learned how to play guitar off of an app and other things like that. But I’ve been taking singing lessons since I was six.
Lucy: I’ve been taking lessons since I was seven years old when I started with the drums, and then I added on the bass and guitar afterward. I’ve been taking lessons. I still take lessons. It’s just a really great thing. It’s a really great way to harness your craft.
Lula: I took lessons when I was like in middle school for a year, maybe two years, I don’t really know. It definitely helped me get my foot in the door with learning and playing an instrument. But then after that, I don’t take lessons anymore. It’s kind of just like I practice.
You know, I have a lot of musician friends, and we play together, and we practice. But… I go to an art school, so I’ll be taking music classes. I’ll learn theory. I’ll learn how to read music; I don’t know how to read music.
Zoey: I took drum lessons for like, I don’t know, maybe like a year, and then my drum teacher left, and no one else could replace him because I felt like he was just the best teacher, and I just stopped after that. But I practice a lot, and I definitely do want to… I think it’s definitely good for me to get more lessons.
Dahlia: You played on the Airbnb stage as well at the Toyota Music Den; how did the energy of the stages compare for you?
Zoey: Yeah. Toyota Den’s definitely a lot smaller, like it’s a more intimate setting, so it might have felt like it might have been more hype, but also like we could see everyone more clearly. But the Airbnb crowd was also really into it for, like, I mean, a noon set for, like, a 12 p.m. set for my first band; like people were really into it.
Audrey: I will say that at the Toyota Music Den, because it was smaller, I could see people more easily and, like, see their faces, so I was able to interact with them. I saw people lip syncing along to lyrics, and I was like, oh my gosh, this is crazy, they know about us here?
Dahlia: Would you rather be a punk band in the seventies? Or prefer being yourselves now in present day?
Band: Now, now!
Zoey: I think definitely now. There were a lot of bad things in the past, but even though things are still bad now, we’ve made a lot of progress, just like issues in general, like racism and sexism, stuff like that. So, I definitely want to stay in the present day. I don’t want to go back there.
Lula: There’s still a lot of improvement though with that kind of stuff, and we want to work on making the shows we play more inclusive, and we want to encourage peace, love, and positivity. Yeah, and we want safety. We want, you know, like girls to come to our shows and feel safe, you know, and feel like they can mosh or stage dive without the possibility of getting hurt.
Zoey: Yeah, we want people to know where we stand as a band and, like, how we’re aligned. Like our shows aren’t a place for hate. Like yeah.
Lula: They’re a place for love.
Lucy: I would say that’s a complicated question because what they said was right. Like society-wise, modern day is better than in the 70s. But if you’re talking about music, if you’re just talking about like being in a punk band in the scene, that’s a really hard question because there’s so much, like, yeah, I guess like improvement and like not just like society, but also in music scenes because music is ever evolving.
You get to see how there’s still music around. Like there was music around in the 70s, but now there’s more, and like punk is different. And some bands are the same as the 70s. Some bands are blended in with more modern era music, so I feel like nowadays there’s more variety. I guess you could say, but damn, like if I could go back in time, if I could see the Sex Pistols and I could see the Clash, that would be awesome.
Audrey: My answers are pretty much the same as Lucy’s, where I think definitely, as far as issues go, the present day is definitely much better because it’s a lot more progressive. But oh my gosh, going back to the 70s would be pretty cool.
Lucy: Music wise.
Audrey: Music wise.
Dahlia: You guys have a show with Bratmobile in September at the Lodge Room, and then Darker Waves in November. Are you guys looking forward to that?
Band: Yeah!
Lula: So, I’m especially excited for Bratmobile because it’s awesome, because they reached out to us to open for them, and they’re a band that at our first show ever, we covered one of their songs, you know. And then last year they invited us to go on stage to perform that song with them, and now this year we’re opening for them. It’s like, what’s gonna happen next here? Like this is awesome, it’s such an awesome opportunity!
Lucy: Yeah. Like being invited to open up. One of the bands that I think really inspired us and helped us decide like what kind of sound we wanted to have. Like the Riot Grrrl movement is so important; it’s just so surreal, and being accepted is not just like, “Oh my god, she knows who I am.” Still, it’s like, oh my god she approves of me she approves of me someone that I look up to thinks that I’m also cool so wow like it’s like a really like I’ve made it it’s really validating.
Dahlia: How does performing three shows in one day feel?
Audrey: Crazy! It was so fun though. Definitely a bit exhausting. But so our first two sets, our first set was at 12. Our second set was at two. So those were back-to-back-ish, but we still had a little bit of a break, which was good. But then our last set was at 11, so we had a very long break before that, which was really, really nice. So that helped us all recharge. We got to go back to the hotel room and rest a little bit, and it was so fun. We had the best time.
Lula: I’m still tired from yesterday, but that’s okay. I’ll recover from that later. But it’s just like right now. I need to seize the opportunity of being at Lollapalooza because that’s crazy. I’m so grateful that we get to be here.
Lucy: We went back to our hotel after our second set to rest, and the second I got there was, oh my god, I didn’t realize how exhausted I am, because we had to get up early and then we even played two shows, and like it’s so hot.
Zoey: And that one was at 11.
Lucy: Yeah, our last show when we opened up for Finn Wolfhard, we went on at 11, so it was…
Lula: His set was over at 1:30 a.m.
Lucy: So a lot of sleep needs to be caught up on, but I wouldn’t trade that experience.
Audrey: I will say, however, my neck and shoulders from yesterday are killing me, but that’s okay because I’m here and I’m having the best time.
Lucy: You get to rest now.
Lula: I know my fingers started bleeding. They hurt to bend now.
Lucy: I honestly, I feel fine.
Audrey: Well, isn’t that nice for you. (laughs)
Lucy: (Laughs) I feel great, actually.
Dahlia: So you guys used to be a three-person band. How did you guys expand it?
Lucy: They didn’t have a bass player, and they needed one. They were empty without me! (laughs)
Lula: It’s true. At one of the shows we played, Lucy was playing in a separate band on the same bill, and as soon as they started playing, we were just like watching her in awe. We’re like, oh my god, like she’s insane, she’s amazing.
Lucy: Stop it.
Lula: So we stole her from the other band; now she’s ours, and she can’t leave!
Audrey: She came up to me after the set, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, she’s talking to me. Wait, she likes us?”
Lucy: No, I was in awe of you guys.
Zoey: We all love each other.
Audrey: They were all so good that we were like, “How are we supposed to follow them?”
Lucy: Yeah, but they did. Yeah, we covered Rush.
Dahlia: And I think that’s all the questions I have. Thank you so much!
Band: Thank you so much!
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Biography:
“The next wave of teenage riot grrrrl rebellion has arrived, youthfully defiant but smiling ear to ear with infectious pop-punk glee. Unabashedly honest and tightly wound, the quartet exudes passion, seems carefree and cheerful, and boils with attitude, all while displaying a keen melodic edge. And they play like their hair is on fire” – Peter Lindblad, Ink 19
While only performing together for a little more than a year, all-girl Los Angeles high school band, Kim Theory, has quickly made a name for themselves in the vibrant local underground music scene. With their infectious mix of indie rock music with riot girrrrl and pop punk influences, Audrey Cymone (vocals), Lula Seifert (guitar), Lucy Fraser (bass) and Zoey Su (drums), have established themselves at the forefront of an exciting youth movement built on social media and word-of-mouth.
Late last year, the band released their debut recording, the 4-song EP Bitch Scene. Recorded by Paul Roessler (Screamers, DC3, 45 Grave, Twisted Roots) at his Kitten Robot Studios, the EP earned the band radio play and generated universally glowing reviews from a wide variety of magazines, including Magnet, Shindig!, Ink 19 and Big Takeover.
Performing at all-ages venues and homegrown house parties, Kim Theory’s energetic, raucous performances have also garnered the band attention and traditional press coverage from print magazines and other outlets, including Los Angeles Magazine, CBS News Los Angeles, and Vogue. The Bitch Scene release show was held at Backyard Party, an all-ages music space associated with Altadena Musicians, a charity to help musicians replace gear they lost in the LA fires. The sold-out event landed Kim Theory on the cover of the Lifestyle Section of the LA Times.
This combination of new and old media attention connected Kim Theory to first-generation riot grrrl band Bratmobile who reposted their cover of “Gimme Brains” to their Instagram page and shortly afterward invited the girls to join them on stage to sing on the tune in front of the fans at a sold-out show at The Belasco in Los Angeles. It was a fitting, once-in-a-lifetime experience for Kim Theory, whose moniker is a tribute to musicians/heroes Kim Gordon, Kim Shattuck and Kim Deal.
“Part-time band, Full-time friends”, the girls of Kim Theory love playing music and getting to watch other bands play.
Links:
Kim Theory:
Official: https://kimtheory.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kim.theory.band/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kim.theory.band
Lollapalooza:
Official: http://www.lollapalooza.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lollapalooza
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lollapalooza/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lollapalooza