Heavens to Betsy, the riot grrrl precursor that launched Corin Tucker's career before Sleater-Kinney, reunited for the first time in three decades. Tucker and drummer Tracy Sawyer performed a surprise show in Portland, Oregon last night, marking the duo's first stage appearance together since 1992.
The band operated during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the broader Pacific Northwest riot grrrl movement. Tucker's visceral vocals and Sawyer's propulsive drumming defined a sound that predated the more polished indie-rock approach Tucker would later develop with Sleater-Kinney, the band that would dominate alternative rock through two decades and multiple hiatuses.
Heavens to Betsy released two albums on K Records before dissolving. The band's raw energy and confrontational lyrics positioned them as spiritual predecessors to the louder, more commercially successful Sleater-Kinney, which Tucker formed in 1995 with Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss. While Sleater-Kinney became the critical touchstone of the era, Heavens to Betsy maintained a devoted cult following among fans of underground feminist punk.
The surprise reunion arrives as Tucker has remained active in music and activism. Sleater-Kinney reunited in 2015 after a decade-long hiatus and continues performing. The Portland show signals potential appetite for more Heavens to Betsy performances, though the band has not announced a formal tour beyond this opening show.
The reunion speaks to the enduring legacy of riot grrrl and the regional music scenes that nurtured it. Bands from that era have increasingly revisited their catalogs in recent years. For Tucker, returning to Heavens to Betsy means excavating a raw, unpolished chapter before Sleater-Kinney's sophisticated arrangements and political fury became the template for a generation of indie-rock acts.