Le Tigre is of an optimistic stripe

Who says strident feminist politics can’t be fun? Certainly not Kathleen Hanna, who’s managed the trick for years.

So it’s no surprise that her electro-rock trio Le Tigre went from the sloganeering call to arms “FYR (Fifty Years of Ridicule)” one minute at the Avalon on Wednesday to a perky version of the Pointers Sisters’ hit “I’m So Excited” the next -- and pulled it off.

OK, so the latter was a little like counselors at a socialist camp talent show, with the group’s affectionately goofy choreography and coordinated pink, black and white outfits. But it was still fun, and in perfect keeping with the hectoring-with-a-hook approach that Hanna has taken since her early-’90s days leading the pioneering riot grrrl band Bikini Kill.

As good as that band was, the current outfit has in its six years broadened the appeal by finding the common ground between B-52’s froth and X-Ray Spex severity (and staking that territory well ahead of the recent rush of bands mining ‘80s post-punk sources).

If anyone was worried about the band’s move from fierce indie-label loyalty to the Universal Records subsidiary Strummer Recordings with last year’s “This Island” album, the show should have dispelled any concerns. Hanna, JD Samson and Johanna Fateman clearly constituted a band still following its own course on Wednesday. Even accomplished musical chops on slinky disco (“After Dark”) and slamming punk (“Seconds”) forays were colored by DIY sensibilities.

And key throughout the show was the sense that optimism triumphs over anger in their politics.

They’re still preaching to the converted, of course. But even Karl Rove might appreciate how entertainingly and effectively Le Tigre packages its message.