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Le Tigre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the band. For their album, seeLe Tigre (album).For the clothing brand, seeLe Tigre (clothing brand).
Le Tigre
Le Tigre performing in 2004
Le Tigre performing in 2004
Background information
OriginNew York City,New York, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1998–2007
  • 2010
  • 2016[4]
  • 2022–present[5]
Labels
Members
Past membersSadie Benning
Websiteletigre.world

Le Tigre(/ləˈtiːɡrə/,French pronunciation:[lətiɡʁ];French for "The Tiger" ) is an Americanart punkandriot grrrlband formed byKathleen Hanna(ofBikini Kill),Johanna FatemanandSadie Benningin 1998 in New York City. Benning left in 2000 and was replaced byJD Samson.They mixedpunk's directness and politics with playful samples, eclectic pop, andlo-fielectronics. Like with many bands in and from theriot grrrlmovement, many of the lyrics addressedfeministthemes and ideas. The group also added multimedia and performance art elements to their live shows, which often featured support from like-minded acts such asthe Need.[6]

History

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1998–2000: Formation andLe Tigre

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Following the breakup of Bikini Kill in 1998, Kathleen Hanna released a solo album under the pseudonymJulie Ruinand moved to New York, where she wanted to performJulie Ruinsongs live. Not wanting to perform the material alone, she recruited Johanna Fateman, whom Hanna had known since meeting at a Bikini Kill concert several years prior. Sadie Benning, who had helped Hanna make a music video for theJulie Ruinsong "Aerobicide", also joined in order to help with visuals and translating the music into performable material. These performances never happened, and instead resulted in the formation of a new band entirely, Le Tigre.[7]

While Benning was still in Chicago, Hanna and Fateman began sharing cassettes between the three band members, with songs that would eventually become material for Le Tigre. They took their name from one of many hypothetical bands made up by Hannac. 1994.[8]

The band signed withMr. Lady Records,as Hanna and Fateman had met the label's owners while they were in Portland, Oregon. Hanna called the signing "a logical choice" because of the label's greater political commitment over their music releases.[9]

The band's first album,Le Tigre,was released in October 1999. The band's original live performances consisted of Hanna, Fateman and Sadie performing music, along with JD Samson, a roadie they had met in September 1999, who manually operated a slideshow as a visual component to their music, as the band could not afford a projector at the time.[8]

Le Tigre performing in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the early 2000s

2000–2004:From The Desk of Mr. Lady EPandFeminist Sweepstakes

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In 2000, Benning left the band to focus on filmmaking.[10]As the band was already into a month-long tour, they asked Samson to fill in during live performances. The band had already been considering increasing the involvement of Samson as possibly a backup singer or dancer, so they asked them to become an official member. Hanna remarked that "JD added an undeniable flair and charisma to the live show and took to touring and recording like a fish to water."[8]

In October 2001, the band released their second album,Feminist Sweepstakes.

In 2003, Le Tigre collaborated withChicks on Speedon their cover of Tom Tom Club's "Wordy Rappinghood"from their album99 Centsalong with other artists such asMiss Kittin,Kevin Blechdom,ADULT.'sNicola Kuperus,andTina WeymouthofTom Tom Club.[11]The cover became a moderate dance hit in Europe, peaking at number five on theBelgian Dance Chart,[12]and at number sixty-six on theUK Singles Chart.[13][14]

2004–2007: Major label deal,This Islandand hiatus

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In March 2004, Le Tigre signed with Strummer, a subsidiary of major labelUniversal Records,[15]a move described by Kathleen Hanna as a make-or-break for the band, who were considering breaking up due to exhaustion.[16]In June 2004, Mr. Lady closed down,[17]and the band began reissuing their back catalogue under their own label, Le Tigre Records, with distribution fromTouch & Go Records.[18]

They released their debut major-label album,This Island,in October 2004. The album was a moderate success, selling over 90,000 copies in the US.[19]

The band entered a "long hiatus" in August 2007, due to the band being burnt out from touringThis Island,and the band members wanting to "do their own thing".[19][20]

2010–present: Brief reunions

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In 2010, Le Tigre briefly returned from a hiatus[21]to produceChristina Aguilera's "My Girls", from her sixth studio albumBionic.The track featuresPeaches.[22]

Le Tigre members JD Samson and Johanna Fateman collaborated with Russian activistsPussy Riotduring a concert organised byVicemagazinein 2014, performing Le Tigre's “Deceptacon”.[23]Later, in 2015, they reunited with Pussy Riot to record a song and video for Netflix seriesHouse of Cards.[24]

In September 2016, the band announced they were reuniting just to release a "special song".[25]On October 19, 2016, Le Tigre released the song, titled "I'm With Her",and its accompanying video to voice their support of the2016 Democratic presidential nominee,Hillary Clinton.[26]

In December 2021, the band announced they would be getting together to play atThis Ain't No Picnic Festivalin 2022.[27]

In January 2023, the band announced they would be reuniting for the first tour in eighteen years.[5]

Controversies

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Involvement in Michigan Womyn's Music Festival

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Le Tigre, along with several acts from Mr. Lady, played at theMichigan Womyn's Music Festivalin 2001 and 2005. This festival became controversial for its "womyn-born womyn"stance and exclusion oftrans womenfrom the festival,[28]leading critics to accuse Mr. Lady and Le Tigre of beingtransphobic.Several acts from the label, including Le Tigre andThe Butchies,received verbal harassment and death threats as a result of playing at the 2001 festival.[29]

In 2014, amid a boycott of the festival led byEquality Michigan,a group of fans dropped a banner that read "Apologise for Michigan" at aJulie Ruinconcert at theMod Club,Toronto,calling for Hanna to apologise for their performances at the festival.[30]JD Samson released a statement in response, announcing a personal boycott of the festival until all self-identified women were included.[31]The festival shut down in 2015.[32]Hanna has not directly addressed their participation in the festival, but in 2018 has said on Twitter that she supportstrans rights.[33]

Le Tigre's "Deceptacon" featuring their use of "bomp"
Barry Mann's "Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" Le Tigre got the "bomp" from
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In October 2021, Hanna and Fateman countersued singer-songwriterBarry Mann,who sent the bandcease-and-desistletters after claiming the song "Deceptacon" was infringing the copyright on his song "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)".Hanna and Fateman argued that the use of" bomp "was transformative of the song and was also a critique of the messaging in Mann's song.[34]They settled the case in November 2021, with the dispute "amicably resolved by a confidential settlement agreement without any public admission of liability", according to Pitchfork.[35]

Band members

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Discography

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Main article:Le Tigre discography

References

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  1. ^
    • Kearney, Mary Celeste (July 13, 2017).Gender and Rock.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-029769-5.RetrievedNovember 24,2017– via Google Books.
    • "The Punk Singer: meet the original Riot Grrrl".7 October 2013.Retrieved6 December2017.
    • Inc, CMJ Network (11 October 2004)."CMJ New Music Report".CMJ Network, Inc.Retrieved6 December2017– via Google Books.{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  2. ^
  3. ^
  4. ^"Le Tigre Reunite".Pitchfork.30 September 2016.Retrieved30 September2016.
  5. ^abBlistein, Jon (24 January 2023)."Le Tigre Roar Back for First Tour in 18 Years".Rolling Stone.Retrieved24 January2023.
  6. ^5 “Music for Everyone.” Contact - Spotify, www.spotify.com/.
  7. ^"'Le Tigre' Turns 20 ".Stereogum.2019-10-25.Retrieved2022-02-12.
  8. ^abc"Just the Facts, Ma'am".www.letigreworld.com.Archived fromthe originalon 22 April 2006.Retrieved2022-02-12.
  9. ^"SPOTLIGHT".www.washingtonpost.com.Retrieved2022-02-12.
  10. ^""We were ahead of our time": Le Tigre talk politics and fashion faux… ".The Face.2023-04-17.Retrieved2024-04-11.
  11. ^Phares, Heather (2003)."99 Cents - Chicks on Speed".Allmusic.Rovi Corporation.Retrieved2011-02-26.
  12. ^"Ultratop.be - Chicks On Speed - Wordy Rappinghood".Ultratop(in Dutch).Ultratop& Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.Retrieved2011-02-26.
  13. ^"The Official Charts Company - Chicks On Speed".Official Charts Company.Retrieved2011-02-26.
  14. ^"Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company".www.officialcharts.com.Retrieved2022-04-24.
  15. ^Cohen, Jonathan (2004-03-11)."Le Tigre Inks With Strummer/Universal".Billboard.Retrieved2022-02-12.
  16. ^"Le Tigre".Pollstar.24 January 2005.Retrieved2022-02-12.
  17. ^"DISCORDER Farewell, Mr. Lady".2007-09-27. Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2007.Retrieved2022-02-12.
  18. ^"Le Tigre / Interviews / Silent Uproar".silentuproar.com.Retrieved2022-02-17.
  19. ^abPeters, Mitchell (2008-02-19)."Le Tigre Members Tour Behind New Project".Billboard.Retrieved2022-02-12.
  20. ^"The Latest on Le Tigre: DVD, Teaching, DJ Dates".Pitchfork.2007-08-20.Retrieved2022-04-24.
  21. ^"The Latest on Le Tigre: DVD, Teaching, DJ Dates".Pitchfork.20 August 2007.
  22. ^"Le Tigre Working With Christina Aguilera - Pitchfork".Pitchfork.8 June 2009.Retrieved20 December2016.
  23. ^"VICE 20th Pussy Riot Performs Le Tigre's Deceptacon - YouTube".YouTube.15 July 2017.Retrieved15 July2017.
  24. ^"Pussy Riot's" Don't Cry Genocide "Featuring Le Tigre Members Appears on" House of Cards "- Pitchfork".Pitchfork.28 February 2015.Retrieved28 February2015.
  25. ^"Le Tigre Reunite | Pitchfork".pitchfork.com.30 September 2016.Retrieved2016-10-20.
  26. ^"New Music: Le Tigre Return With Pro-Hillary" I'm With Her "".19 October 2016.Retrieved20 December2016.
  27. ^"The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and le Tigre to Perform at 2022 This Ain't No Picnic Festival".Pitchfork.3 December 2021.
  28. ^Vitello, Paul (August 20, 2006)."The Trouble When Jane Becomes Jack".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on Jan 9, 2021.RetrievedApril 11,2024.
  29. ^http://eminism.org/michigan/20011007-carns.txtArchiveat theWayback Machine(archived February 17, 2022)
  30. ^Trapunski, Richard (2014-04-07)."Fans demand an apology from Kathleen Hanna in Toronto Julie Ruin concert banner drop".Chart Attack.Archived from the original on 2016-02-02.Retrieved2016-02-02.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ^jdsamson."For My Community | JD SAMSON".Retrieved2022-02-17.
  32. ^Holden, Dominic (22 April 2015)."Michigan Music Festival That Excluded Transgender People To Shut Down".BuzzFeed News.Retrieved2022-02-17.
  33. ^"Kathleen Hanna on Twitter".Twitter.2018-10-22.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-12-28.Retrieved2022-02-17.
  34. ^Hussey, Allison (9 October 2021)."Le Tigre's Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman Sue Over" Deceptacon "Copyright Infringement Accusation".Pitchfork.Retrieved2022-02-17.
  35. ^"Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman Settle Le Tigre" Deceptacon "Lawsuit".Pitchfork.2021-11-02.Retrieved2022-02-17.
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