Written by Maria Dizazzo
"It’s going to be a blast… you’re about to witness history!" Roared the extravagant Reverend Billy, welcoming the night with the Stop Shopping Choir, a diverse mix of highly trained vocalists from New York City, grooving in their fluorescent show-stopping ensembles.
The first of a whopping four support acts, including Australians Yothu Yindi, Ecca Vandal and Cash Savage and the Last Drinks. Even the soundtrack between each act was appropriately curated with politically motivated tunes (Think: Beds are Burning, War and Get Up Stand Up, just to name a few).
Before the night commenced, a number of audience members waited outside of the gate, handing out flyers detailing some of the civil injustices currently operating in West Papua. These are the things that Pussy Riot, and every support act, were raising awareness for on this night. Their music is fundamentally human-centric – reveling in the nature of solidarity while simultaneously refusing the inequalities that occur globally and particularly in their hometown of Russia.
The punk-pop collective took the stage by 11 PM with an otherworldly, politically aggressive performance. Introducing an avant-garde side project, which involved the singer stripping down to her underwear, playing the saxophone in an almost hypnotic trance, while having swatches of black paint smeared on her face while a fully disguised bandmate danced. I took a moment to observe the stillness of the crowd, some people nodded to the jarring instrumentals and others stared slightly frightened while covering their hands over their ears.
Pussy Riot Live was an intense, confronting and utterly captivating performance by the most iconic political activists of our time. The feminist collective was accompanied by three brilliant local female musicians who shared the stage effortlessly, right on the eve of International Women’s Day. There was a mix of dance, documentary and Russian story-telling that echoed through the area in a truly unforgettable night. You could feel the ferocity with every snarl, shout, and movement. They were fighting for something they truly believed in, every day. This explosive energy, passion, and dedication are what the world needs to make history.
4.5 out of 5 stars
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