Like many Americans, I discovered Huggy Bear through the iconic split LP with Bikini Kill released by Kill Rock Stars in 1992. I dug their politics, energy, and style, and picked up a few 45s by the British band, but they remained an enigma—famously declining interviews by the press and refusing to take photos. I got to know them a little better through singer Chris Rowley and his present band, Adulkt Life, after I interviewed him for Razorcake a couple issues ago, and now we have this thick, squarebound, coffee-table paperback by the hardline DIY riot grrrl musicians themselves to detail their entire three-year plan from 1991–1994.

The first section is an oral history by all five members, starting with their rise out of Brighton and then seeing bands like Galaxie 500, receiving guidance from Heavenly, and being galvanized by the Nation Of Ulysses. Their stories touch on bands, shows, and scenes from their homeland in England to their spiritual home of Olympia, Wash.; recount the U.K. tour with Bikini Kill and U.S. tour with the Frumpies; and make interesting observations on riot grrrl in Europe vs. America. Reviews, interviews, and articles are sprinkled in like sidebars, and many of the clippings include unrelated content and even ads in the layout that provide extra context all the way to their premeditated end.

The second section of the book collects all seven of the band’s handwritten, typed, and collaged zines, plus flyers, Fotomat portraits, lyric sheets, and other ephemera. The result is a radical manifesto featuring an international Rolodex of friends and time capsule of powerful, art-damaged garage punk you can dance to, hopefully providing inspiration for art, bands, and revolutions to come. 

 -Razorcake

By Niki Elliott, Karen Hill, Jo Johnson, Chris Rowley, and Jon Slade, 352 pgs., Edited by Ethan Swan