Pop Break: The Linda Lindas with Ty Teg at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles on December 15, 2022
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, one of the greatest young punk rockers out there right now live in Los Angeles and they’re four teenage girls called the Linda Lindas. The band, made up of sisters Lucia De La Garza (15) and Mila De La Garza (12), their cousin Eloise Wong (14), and their friend Bela Salazar (18), hit it big after a performance of their original song, “Racist Sexist Boy” – which took place in a local LA library – went viral. Lucky for us, turns out the girls had more than just one song up their sleeve, and were just at the beginning of greatness.
In the last five months alone, The Linda Lindas performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, showed up on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, headlined a “Get Out The Vote” show for Vice President Kamala Harris, played Riot Fest in Chicago, and opened up for Japanese Breakfast and Yeah Yeah Yeahs at two instantly iconic shows in New York and the Hollywood Bowl. These teens already have a career that most artists would kill for, and they’re having the best time of their lives doing it. All these individual wins culminate in a perfect hometown sold-out show at the Fonda Theatre, which, in a fun twist, also included its own teenage opening act.
The openers Ty Teg, led by CalArts freshman Audrey Reynolds, set the tone of the night with a DIY-punky vibe that felt inspired by Hole and Yeah Yeah Yeahs with a heavy rhythm section and groovy guitar riffs. As if recognizing their own effect, Ty Teg won the crowd over when they closed out their set with a cover of Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Date With The Nite,” which was so perfectly suited to their sound, vocals, and vibe. They feel like a young band to keep an eye out for in the future.
The Linda Lindas opened their 21-song set – their longest show to date (“basically all the songs we know” one of the girls would later remark) – with their namesake song “Linda Lindas” and made the whole night a fun, family affair. The crowd mostly consisted of Gen X dad with tattoos, hip moms, and the coolest little girls you’ve ever seen dressed either in Linda Lindas merch (cat ears included), or Ramones t-shirts and tiny Doc Martens boots. The stage was decorated for Christmas with strands of tinsel draped across the drum kit, and a few roadies – who would later be revealed to be Bobb Bruno from Best Coast and Spencer Lere from Bleached.
As they played favorite tracks like “Claudia Kishi” and “Talking to Myself,” the girls incorporated big jumps, headbanging, and coordinated dance moves while playing, proving how much more comfortable they’ve gotten on stage over the last year with each other and the audience. In an effort to educate younger members in the crowd, Bela the guitarist took the time to explain what a pit was and asked the crowd to make a “respectful” one just before she started singing a song about her cat Nino. As if everyone was waiting for permission, a very safe yet killer pit started in the middle of the venue and only slightly faded as the night went on.
The diversity of the crowd was mirrored well in the diversity of the songs. Guitarist Bela sang two songs in Spanish – one an original, and the other a cover of Los Prisoneros, which she explained was a family favorite much loved by her mom. The local crowd recognized the song right away, and parents lifted kids up on their shoulders to see. Shortly after, Lucia and other band members invited the youngest people in the crowd to come to the front of the pit so they could have a better view, and reminded everyone to stay hydrated. The Linda Lindas’ sensitivity was remarkable, and felt indicative of both their generation’s attention to personal sensitivities and, most likely, great parenting. Just before playing their instant classic “Growing Up,” Lucia said the song was about “best friends, and if you don’t have one, I’ll be your best friend for the night.” When it felt like the positive vibes throughout the venue couldn’t be any better, someone reminded the audience that the girls were hosting a Toy Drive for the holidays in the back.
In a throwback to the band’s early days (namely, 3 years ago), The Linda Lindas closed out their show with a couple of great covers. They played the Go-Gos’ “Tonite,” which fit so perfectly in their setlist that you’d think it was written for the band themselves. After, the girls were joined by opening act Ty Teg, switched instruments, and tore into a raucous rendition of Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” – a highlight of the night. Finally, they were joined onstage by Bethany Costentino and Bobb Bruno from Best Coast before playing the Best Coast throwback, “When I’m With You.” Being able to see young people enjoy themselves so fully onstage, falling over, rolling around, and playing great music felt amazing. It’s clear the band has grown so much as performers but are still remaining kids, and I don’t think there’s anything better than that. If The Linda Lindas are our future, I think we’re all going to be just fine.
