Five Reasons We Miss Le Tigre. A Lot


Oscilloscope Laboratories announced that the  film Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre On Tour will be out on DVD June 7. The film, premiering at the SXSW Film and Music Festival, documents the original electro-femmes Le Tigre on their last tour supporting the album This Island

The fact that Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill reinvented herself to make happy dance music via Le Tigre was a big reason the trio was so well-loved. No other girl group confronted tackled politics, confronted sexism and homophobia like them. 
Watch “Deceptacon,” a clip from the film, after the jump. 

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1. They were entertaining AND intelligent: They had dance moves, they wore interesting outfits that weren't just flesh-baring, and they made their shows a party for everyone involved, even while protesting George Bush. 

2. They didn't use sex to sell their music: There were no gratuitous displays of tits and ass. There was no pandering to the opposite sex. Instead, gender-bending performances made people question everything about sex. (Who needs it when you can just dance all night?)

3. Their songs were catchy as heck: I dare you to name an electro girl band whose songs were as good as Le Tigre's.

4. Kathleen Hannaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa: The '90s were great because Hanna was around as a zine-ster and a musician in Bikini Kill. As a beautiful, intelligent feminist who actively promoted her causes no matter the medium, Hanna made women everywhere feel that we could really have it all. We could wear revealing clothing without having to put out. We could be crass while still being smart. We could shout political slogans while dancing the robot. All at the same time.
 
5. They were political: And maybe I'm just sick of all the hipster-irony bullshit, but does anyone really have a cause anymore? I want my music to mean something, as well. I want the artists creating the songs I'm hearing to have something to say other than “I wish he were my boyfriend.” Don't you?

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