There’s a riot going on at the Akvárium Klub tonight – a Pussy Riot. An offshoot of the controversial Russian band, who infamously shot a video in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, visit Budapest for a one-off show. Arrested then imprisoned, a member of the feminist punk band, Maria Alyokhina, since created Pussy Riot Theatre, dramatizing elements of the group’s story as also outlined in her book ‘Riot Days’. Performed by a foursome, including the duo from Asian Women on the Telephone (AWOTT), this is being enacted on the stage at Budapest’s most prominent music venue.
Tonight is not the first time that Pussy Riot, or any of their members, have trod the boards in Budapest, the group having performed at the Sziget Festival in 2015. Alyokhina has made a cameo appearance in an episode of smash Netflix series House of Cards and courted controversy on various occasions.
Her current project, Pussy Riot Theatre, also appeared recently at the Sydney Festival in Australia, the show described by organizers as a ‘masterclass in resistance’ and reviewers as ‘a primal revolutionary new electronic punk opera’.
Still only 29, Alyokhina continues to be a vital voice in today’s Russia, the original band having been formed around the time of the parliamentary elections in 2011. It will not have escaped her attention that a presidential election takes place this week.
For ticket and venue details, see the Akvárium Klub website.
