Le Tigre brings the grrrowl to town

Le Tigre
Chicks on Speed
Wed. March 13
Crystal Ballroom
All ages

Next Wednesday, March 13, Le Tigre will perform at the Crystal Ballroom. Le Tigre is a three woman, electronica/old-school garage-rock band led by ex-Bikini Kill vocalist Kathleen Hanna. Other members include international video maker Sadie Benning and zine creator Johanna Fateman.

Le Tigre currently records on the label Mr. Lady records, which is owned and operated by Butchies lead guitarist Kaia Wilson and her girlfriend, photographer Tammy Rae Carland. Their first self-titled debut appeared in 2000 and they have just released their fourth album, Feminist Sweepstakes.

Kathleen Hanna helped change the punk scene into a faucet of women’s rights. Hanna and Bikini Kill kick-started the Riot Grrrl movement at Olympia’s at Evergreen State College.

Hanna and other Olympians, who were students at the time, called for a “revolution Girl Style” in music by fusing feminist ideals with the power of punk. Her days with Bikini Riot, which was formed in the late ’80s, helped pave the way for a new generation of women in rock by challenging the hierarchy apparent in the punk scene as well as rock-at-large.

Listen for songs like “The Empty” and “Dude, You’re So Crazy” with startling feminist lyrics along with jamming sound mixes and samples.

Opener Chicks on Speed is a super trio, allegedly from Germany, that plays a crazy mishmash ofart core and electronica accompanied by video. They might succeed in whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Go see for yourself.