Four decades of music, friendship and activism culminated in a fervent afternoon performance on Bowling Green Lawn. On Sunday, Feb. 15, Scripps Presents hosted the queer all-woman band BETTY for Scripps’s family weekend.
BETTY is composed of three women: Alyson Palmer is a vocalist who also plays the bass and guitar, and sisters Elizabeth and Amy Ziff cover vocals, guitar, electronic programming and even cello between them.
The trio celebrated their 40-year anniversary in Claremont, a city far from where they were first founded in 1986. Washington, D.C.
The concert kicked off with songs from BETTY’s new album, “EAT,” which was released in Sept. 2024. New tracks like “Flow” and “Big Size Love” paired seamlessly with BETTY classics like “Did You Tell Her.” To mix it up, the band also sang a cappella and alternated lines in spoken word, illustrating the intuitive connection that comes from decades of making music together. The performance culminated in a standing ovation from guests.
“I think it’s really commendable to be going for 40 years and still be making new and relevant music, not just playing the hits, so to speak,” student attendee Lena Bagley SC ’26 said.
Seeing the fruits of BETTY’s enduring career firsthand was inspiring for many. In an industry often steeped in ageism and misogyny, watching older queer women succeed offers students a powerful model of what long-term collaboration, creativity and authenticity can look like.
“I hope that they see that it can be fun and feminist and cathartic to see women who have been together for this long,” BETTY member Elizabeth Ziff said in an interview with TSL. “I would have loved to have seen that when I was going to college.”
In creating visibility they once lacked, the band has become a pillar of queer media. This impact has extended beyond their songs into the various projects they became involved in.
BETTY’s discography spans 11 albums and has appeared in countless television series. Notably, BETTY wrote the theme song for a series titled “The L Word” and performed live in numerous episodes. Many of the attendees were first familiarized with BETTY through this series.
“I’ve been listening to BETTY for a while,” student attendee Frances Currie SC ’26 said. “I’m a really big fan of ‘The L Word,’ so I loved it when they played [the] theme song. That was super fun to hear.”
“The L Word” fans exist in all corners of the globe, which is something that BETTY members are not only aware of, but deeply proud of.
“We have played all over the world, and no matter where we were, people were singing ‘The L Word’ theme song who necessarily didn’t speak English,” Palmer said. “It’s really exciting that it’s become an anthem to so many women who feel the same way we do.”
Scripps has long been recognized as a space where queer culture thrives. For students, BETTY’s performance offered a rare chance to meet the artists behind a cultural touchstone. The band’s work on “The L Word” resonated not only as entertainment but as a living example of queer women leading in media and music.
“I think of Scripps as a queer place and a place where queer culture is celebrated,” Bagley said. “I think BETTY does that, and I was happy to see them there.”
Since the band’s origin, they have sustained their commitment to justice for women, girls and queer people. In 2014, BETTY founded The BETTY Effect, a non-profit that harnesses the power of music and performance to empower marginalized individuals and fight for social justice causes across the globe. Currently, they serve as Arts Envoys for the U.S. Department of State.
BETTY’s lasting impact traces back to their music’s timeless messaging. New songs like “What The World Needs Now is Love” and “Gangway” were written with students facing political and social turmoil in mind. That turmoil can be isolating, but BETTY serves as a blueprint for budding activists.
“I truly believe that we need to, as soon as possible, absolutely destroy the patriarchy,” Palmer said. “We need to connect in every single way to have the power to do this huge, huge thing that we’re going to need to do — to put not only our nation, but the world on the right path. What’s really exciting to me is to see girls who have the same fire in their eyes that we did at their age.”
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