No Men Allowed As All-Female Hasidic Band Rocks Arlene's Grocery

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It was truly ladies' night out at the Lower East Side rock venue Arlene's Grocery on Thursday night.

As 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera reported, no men were allowed in the audience when Bulletproof Stockings, an all-female Hasidic rock group, performs.

Lead singer Perl Wolfe said the group follows traditional Orthodox rules about not performing in front of men.

"We've been doing all-women's shows, so that's not new for us," Wolf told Rivera. "But it's new for Arlene's, and it's new for a traditional rock venue to take that on and take that risk to open the doors to women only."

It was the biggest New York City gig yet for the band from Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

"This is a rock concert," Wolfe said. "We want to give women a space to rock out.

"You could also say, 'What if a guy comes dressed up in drag? Will he be able to come in?'" Wolfe said. "Well, I guess if he fooled the security, that's on him."

Julia Darling, general manager of Arlene's Grocery, who booked the band, said the show "looks like it's sold out."

Wolfe said she didn't think closing the doors to men was a big deal.

"Guys have their poker night," the lead singer said. "Guys have their fantasy football night."

"It's empowering to see these women kicking butt," added Darling.

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