Le Tigre is the kind of band that inspires fervor. Not everyone knows them, but those who do love them.
On tour for the first time in almost 20 years, the feminist electro-punk sounds of core bandmates Kathleen Hanna, JD Samson, and Johanna Fateman had the crowd clamoring inside Toronto’s cavernous concert venue History.
With many dancing and jostling in complete adoration the night moved at a kinetic pace, affording minimal pauses in the music itself – save for between-song talk or quick outfit changes.
JD Samson of Le Tigre. Photo by Myles Herod.
Likewise, nearly every choice in Le Tigre’s set-list felt like a visceral hit as the threesome lit up the audience with chant-heavy pop that embraced their Riot Grrrl roots.
Bolstered by raucous fans, the band delivered popular songs such as TKO and Hot Topic with Hanna and JD behind the beats as Johanna Fateman alternated amidst guitar and bass.
Beneath the music, attendees excitedly screamed, “Don’t you know! It’s our dancefloor!” or whatever else Hanna commanded them to muster up. Onstage, the noise decidedly never eased up either, amplified by jagged guitars – which sounded massive – serving a consistent mix of grittiness in contrast to the band’s jocular nature. Thankfully, it was a blissful sonic barrage that never became muddy.
Le Tigre’s JD Samson and Kathleen Hanna at Toronto’s History. Photo by Myles Herod.
Ultimately though, Le Tigre is a takes-no-prisoners band (politically speaking) while pulling off funny faces or incorporating choreographed dances. Equally interesting, they also embody a sound that has connected with younger generations in part to social media. Nowhere was that more apparent than on the night’s final song, Deceptacon, a ferocious number of electronic static and a fulminating Kathleen Hanna that brought the house down.
Loud as it was, waves of positivity radiated in those closing few moments as she jumped rope on the spot to a fitting onscreen message that simply read: “See you later.”
Myles Herod
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