Photo by Chloe Aftel

Former Bikini Kill/Le Tigre frontman Kathleen Hanna returned in full force last year with her new band, the Julie Ruin. Along with Hanna's new music came a film about her life, The Punk Singer, which revealed that she had been battling Lyme disease for years. In the film, Hanna says her illness was the real reason she had recently been musically inactive.

Almost a year after their first official show, and several tours supporting their album Run Fast, the Julie Ruin have now cancelled all scheduled international dates through September, due to Hanna's health. (The cancelled dates include Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.)

A press release notes:

With the release of the documentary film The Punk Singer, frontwoman Kathleen Hanna has been outspoken about her struggle with Lyme Disease, explaining her temporary absence from music. She is currently having a relapse and has been advised by her doctor to start a difficult 3-month course of treatment immediately. The treatment plan will make it impossible for her to travel. The Julie Ruin are disappointed to postpone these appearances, however they are confident that taking this time off will allow Hanna to heal so that they can continue touring in the future.

The Julie Ruin also includes Hanna's former Bikini Kill bandmate Kathi Wilcox on bass, as well as keyboardist Kenny Mellman, drummer Carmine Covelli, and guitarist Sara Landeau.

In addition to her work with the Julie Ruin, Hanna published her riot grrrl papers last year in a collection from The Feminist Press. Bikini Kill's self-titled EP and Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah have also been reissued.

Read our 5-10-15-20 interview with Hanna, and watch Pitchfork.tv's "+1" with Julie Ruin, after the cancelled dates.

The Julie Ruin: