L7 is an American punk rock/grunge band from Los Angeles, California, first active from 1985 to 2001 and re-formed since 2014. The band was formed by Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner in 1985. A year prior, Gardner had performed backing vocals on the Black Flag song "Slip It In". The punk rock duo were joined by Jennifer Finch on bass guitar and Anne Anderson on drums. After Anderson quit the band, Demetra "Dee" Plakas became the permanent drummer in 1990.
Their eponymous debut studio album was released in 1988 by Epitaph Records. It demonstrates the band's punk rock origins, although there are traces of the heavier grunge sound that dominated their later work. Their second Lp, "Bricks Are Heavy" was released in 1992.
Their 1992 second album Bricks Are Heavy, produced by Butch Vig, was featured in Rolling Stone's May 1999 list of 'Essential recordings of the 1990s', and was their most successful release. Their 1992 single "Pretend We're Dead" spent 13 weeks on the US Alternative Songs chart, reached a high of No. 8 and made No 21 on the UK Singles Chart.
L7's third album, Hungry for Stink, was released in July 1994 and coincided with the Lollapalooza tour. Finch left the band during the recording of their next album. Sparks and Greta Brinkman played bass on the album The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum, after which Gail Greenwood – formerly of the band Belly – became the band's full-time bassist. In 1998, the pseudo-documentary L7: The Beauty Process was released, directed by Krist Novoselic. By 2001 L7 were no longer touring. According to the band's website, "L7 are on an indefinite hiatus. We know that's vague, but that's just the way it is. The future of the band is a bit up in the air at the moment." L7 appeared to be defunct for all practical purposes, but on December 10, 2014, L7 announced, on their official Facebook page, that they would be reuniting, featuring Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner, Jennifer Finch and Demetra Plakas. The reunited band kicked off a European tour at Rock am Ring in Germany on June 6, 2015, followed by North American 2015 dates at Riot Fest in both Denver and Chicago, and the Fun, Fun, Fun Festival in Austin, Texas.
