Famous for their guerilla performances and political message, Moscow-based punk band Pussy Riot will be playing at the Explore the North festival in Leeuwarden this November.
Translation by Thomas Ansell
Omrop Fryslan reports that Pussy Riot will present their new musical theatre project ‘Riot Days’ during Explore the North, which will be held between the 22nd and 24th of November. The performance, which is a mix of saxophone solos, electronic music, documentary clips and political criticism, is based on the protests and subsequent imprisonment of band member Maria Alyokhina.
The theme of this year’s Explore the North festival is artists who strive for an ideal, and fantasise over a new world. Pussy Riot are the perfect example of this, says the organisation behind the festival. The group remains openly critical of Putin and his government. Mark Hosper, who is co-ordinating the festival, says that the Russian band is an example of a group that has made a difference with their work.
Pussy Riot was founded in 2011 and became known around the world for their guerilla performances: impromptu gigs where the masked band would play in famous locations such as the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow (to protest links between the Russian Orthodox Church and President Vladimir Putin), which led to three members of the group being given custodial sentences, one of which was later suspended on appeal. Three members of the collective were apprehended by security services in April as they were on the way to pick up the Golden Mask theatre prize.
This will be the group’s first show in Leeuwarden, but not their first time in the north: in January of this year, Pussy Riot played in Groningen.
The full line up of the Explore the North Festival and ticket sales are available online.
Photo source: Igor Mukhin/Wikipedia
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