Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour is more than a band tour documentary. Without intending to be, the film caught the last years of indie music before the internet started to play a bigger role. During Le Tigre's 2004-2005 international tour, the internet was first starting to give bands outside of the mainstream a chance to reach a wider audience, and Le Tigre was one of the last bands that built its audience by positive word of mouth alone. Going into Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour, I had never heard of Le Tigre or their joyfully political-feminist music, and early on, it somewhat hindered my enjoyment of the film. As it went on, however, I got to know the band and care about these performers and what they were trying to create which was a better concert experience.
For those unfamiliar with Le Tigre, they were an all-female band best known for their feminist and politically-charged lyrics. Kathleen Hanna was the band's lead singer with Johanna Fateman on guitar and JD Samson on keyboard. They have often said that they wanted to make the concert experience exciting again by incorporating energetic choreography into their shows, comparing their style to groups like the Temptations instead of their all-male rock band counterparts.
Who Took the Bomp? is structured much like a typical tour documentary. There is a lot of concert footage mixed in with off-stage partying, goofy home videos made by the band, and loyal fans waiting in line gushing about how much they love Le Tigre. Who Took the Bomp? is also a lot less polished than the typical band documentary, but considering the loose, free-spirited indie feel of Le Tigre, it works.
Not being a fan of Le Tigre already, the first part of the documentary didn't particularly connect with me. As much fun as it is to watch three total strangers party, make their own work-out video, and get a picture with Slipknot, I didn't connect with the movie until about halfway through when they started talking about some of the messages behind their music and their intentions with their lives shows. They have put together a fascinating combination of social-political messages with a joyful spirit. Yes, they are trying to speak out about the anti-abortion and anti-gay agendas of then-president George W. Bush, but I got the impression that their primary goal was to put on an entertaining show. The women of Le Tigre are not the ugly stereotype of the angry feminist. Rather, they are passionate feminists, as quick to laugh and dance as they are to fight for rights and recognition in the rock community as more than “just another girl band.”
As I continue to reflect on Le Tigre and what their tour meant at that time, I realize that for many teens on the outer fringes of society at that time, concerts served almost like many online communities serve today. Not that long ago, an LGBT youth in a small town might not have anyone else to talk to (or at least anyone out of the closet), and going to a Le Tigre concert was like spending a whole evening celebrating who you were and meeting other people like you. Today, there are entire web communities available to anyone with an internet connection that can help teens struggling to find acceptance, and the concert experience is more about entertainment than community. Who Took the Bomp? represents indie music before the age of the internet, and for that reason, I think this documentary will have staying power after its fans have moved on and the issues they fought for like abortion and gay rights are footnotes in a history book.
DVD Bonus Features
I was really impressed with all the special features packed on this disc. There is a partial video commentary with Le Tigre where they talk about certain scenes in the film including the radio interview and the girl in the yellow dress standing in line for their concert. They also have full-length performances of songs from their concerts, their entire 2002 Amsterdam concert, an interview with Rattina the Puppet from “Chic-a-Go-Go,” and a couple of outtakes. For Le Tigre fans and music fans in general, Who Took the Bomp? on DVD is a must-own.
"Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour" is on sale June 7, 2011 and is not rated. Concert-Film, Documentary. Directed by Kerthy Fix. Starring Jocelyn Samson, Johanna Fateman, Kathleen Hanna.
