Beloved Los Angeles punk band The Linda Lindas share a cover of The Go-Gos’s classic “Tonite.” 

Of the cover the band says: “The Linda Lindas started out as a cover band, and we’ve played more songs by The Go-Go’s than anyone else. And even after we started to write our own songs, we never stopped playing ‘Tonite.’ We love the idea of us going out and owning our town, and ‘Tonite’ is as fun to play as it is empowering––especially the part where we all sing together. ‘We rule the streets tonite until the morning light’ and so should our fans. Because the cover is such a hit at shows, we decided to record a studio version to pay tribute to the greatest all-female rock band of all time, a crucial part of the L.A. punk scene, and our heroes.”

The Linda Lindas first played together as members of a pickup new wave cover band of kids assembled by Kristin Kontrol (Dum Dum Girls) for Girlschool LA in 2018 and then formed their own garage punk group soon after. Sisters Mila de la Garza (drummer, now 11) and Lucia de la Garza (guitar, 14), cousin Eloise Wong (bass, 13), and family friend Bela Salazar (guitar, 17) developed their chops as regulars at all-ages matinees in Chinatown, where they played with original L.A. punks like The Dils, Phranc, and Alley Cats; went on to open for riot grrrl legends Bikini Kill and architect Alice Bag as well as DIY heavyweights Best Coast and Bleached; and were eventually featured in Amy Poehler’s movie Moxie.

The Linda Lindas went on to self-release a four-song EP, make their own videos and grow a following beyond Los Angeles. But they never expected or could have even dreamed that their performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy” for the Los Angeles Public Library in May 2021 would put them smack in the middle of the cultural zeitgeist. “It can be comforting, in times like these, to be slapped cold by undeniable truth. And so it is with The Linda Lindas a band made up of four Asian and Latina teens and tweens [who] have generated a significant wave of attention in the three years since the band was founded,” said the New York Times. “And this new song, which Eloise said was inspired by a real-life experience, is a needs-no-explanation distillation of righteous anger. It’s severely relatable.” 

Photo Courtesy: Zac Farro