L7 Is a Tough Act Worth Following : Rock music: The group, performing at the Coach House tonight and Tuesday, conveys feminist-tinged indignation that is insightful.

Along with their more publicized, coquettish counterparts, “tough-girl” performers have always been part of rock ‘n’ roll’s legacy--from beehive-topped, gum-snapping pioneers the Shangri-Las, on through Janis Joplin, Patti Smith, Suzi Quatro and Joan Jett. The insurgent essence of the music often breeds strong-willed women who refuse to tart up their image, whose in-your-face music and appearance is more grease than glamour.

L7, which performs at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano tonight and Tuesday, follows in this tradition.

L7’s sound features chain-saw guitars, a thunderous rhythm section and rage-filled material. The vocals are so aggressive that if you close your eyes, it would be easy to forget that these are women singing--and that’s exactly the way the group wants it.

Disgusted by a spate of press that lumps all hard-edged, female rock groups together under the “foxcore” banner, the members of L7 want their music taken at face value.

“Rock ‘n’ roll was invented and became popular because of its rebellious nature,” said L7 bassist Jennifer Finch in a recent phone interview. “But the world has seen every form of rebellion--from throwing TVs out the windows to heroin abuse to just the guy in the leather jacket with greased-back hair--and the rebel image is becoming tired and burnt out. So (the press) is finding new interest in women who (rebel), creating a whole new aspect.

“The unfortunate thing is that journalists are trying to create a genre out of gender, which trivializes it,” she said. “That’s extremely ignorant, because it bypasses the uniqueness between the groups.”

One element that sets L7 apart from like-minded bands--male and female--is the wit and intelligence of its lyrics. Reaching well beyond the standard of the typical “grunge” band’s rebel-without-a-clue focus, L7 conveys a feminist-tinged indignation that’s street smart but insightful, furious but funny.

“A lot of times, it comes more naturally to write a song when you’re angry than when you’re in a good mood,” Finch said. “There’s a lot of things that make us mad, so there’s a lot of anger in some of our lyrics. But there are other lyrics that have another perspective of life. A lot of things make us happy, too.”

L7 has been the subject of some media hype in recent weeks, perhaps giving the impression to those unfamiliar with the group that it’s new to the scene. In fact, L7 has been a mainstay of L.A.’s underground clubs for seven years.

The group’s 1987 debut album for Epitaph Records was followed by an EP for Sub Pop in 1990. Last year, L7 made its major label debut for Slash Records with “Bricks Are Heavy,” causing resentment among some of its more hard-core/alternative adherents.

“We’ve been around for so long that we have a strong fan base that’s really on our side,” Finch said. “But there has been some problems with Maximum Rock ‘N’ Roll (an alternative scene magazine). They really have the idea that there should be fanzines, record companies, distributors and bands such as ours all working together to create this beautiful independent scene. We gave that six years of our lives and tried to make it work, and we felt that going to Slash was really a compromise. It was really difficult for us. I think we’ve become a better band, and a little more diverse, but I certainly don’t think that we’re churning out upper-echelon, mainstream hits.”

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Bedecked in backward baseball caps, leather jackets, shredded jeans, big boots and sunglasses and sporting a variety of tattoos, L7 presents a visual impression as onerous as its music--sort of an anti-Bangles. Finch, while describing the group as “peaceniks,” was nonetheless full of attitude, saying the group remains stubbornly committed to its principles. “I’m proud to say that Slash has never even suggested the idea of smoothing out our edges,” she said. “We’ve never been threatened with having to move in a certain direction. We’re the kind of band that . . . we’d just leave. We didn’t get into music to create product like it was toothpaste or deodorant.”

L7 appears tonight and Tuesday at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano. Cosmic Psychos and Chokebore open both nights; shows start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15, and all ages are welcome. For further information, call (714) 496-8930.