Turned on (in more ways than one) by the brassy inspirations of Chrissie Hynde, Patti Smith, and, yes, Joan Jett, thousands of girls picked up electric guitars in the 1970s and ’80s. A few wanted to change the world; most just wanted to know how it felt to strap it on and transform into an object of desire or envy — or inspiration. Ever the public servant, excavator and curator Jesse Hawthorne Ficks (of the “Midnites for Maniacs” triple features at the Castro) rekindles your dormant fantasies with “Grrrl Rockers of the 1980s,” a foot-stomping night of distaff thunder. The warm-up act is the 1981 after-school special Starstruck, starring Trini Alvarado as a would-be folksinger whose mama wants her to take a job in a factory. Then Trini makes hearts skip in Times Square as one of two teen runaways who start a punk band and turn the town on its ear. With a kick-out-the-jams soundtrack and a canny performance by Tim Curry as a laid-back late-night disc jockey, it’s even better than you remember. The hard-charging British cult classic Breaking Glass headlines the bill, showcasing the songs, chops, and raw hunger of Hazel O’Connor as an ambitious tough girl who successfully crashes the New Wave party, only to end up dazed and confused with the check. Only women bleed, indeed.
Sat., Sept. 13, 6 p.m., 2008
