Concert Review: Pussy Riot – Auckland Town Hall February 22, 2019

Pussy Riot! What are they? Who are they? I think its safe to say that the majority of the people who came out to see them last night at Auckland’s Town Hall had very little idea of what to expect. Which made the show all the more intriguing.

Those that did come with expectations…that they were going to witness some form of all-girl Russian punk band…may have been disappointed. In fact, I was surprised to read some of the negative reactions on Facebook this morning, dismissing them as boring, self-important, entitled and “not punk.” They were written off as “faux-dissent,” which I find kind of rich coming from a group of people living relatively comfortable lives in New Zealand where the biggest attacks on our democracy seem to be an impending Capital Gains Tax and an invading fruit fly.

What Pussy Riot’s performance was, was  a theatrical musical and video production based around Pussy Riot member, Maria Alyokhina’s memoir, Riot Days, written about her nearly two years  spent in a Siberian prison. I dunno, that doesn’t sound very entitled to me.

In fact, as I watch the grainy video footage and read along with the “lyrics” being sung/shouted from the stage, I couldn’t help admire how brave these women were to put themselves and their bodies on the line protesting Putin’s regime.

The show, put on by the Auckland Fringe Festival, began with a 30 minute set by Wellington punk trio Unsanitary Napkin. Hey, if you were here looking for loud, abrasive punk rock, these three served it up just fine.

Then, preceding the actual Pussy Riot performance, producer Alexander Cheparukhin made a somewhat lengthy…just under 10 minute…speech explaining who and what Pussy Riot were, that they were not a punk band, and why they had a changing membership. Most interesting, he described how difficult it was for some members to get visas to perform in New Zealand, and that the issue only got settled a day before they were to fly here.

Then the five Pussy Riot members took the stage, with Maria Alyokhina in the center, flanked on either side by the other four performers, two female and two male. Much of the music was electronic although there was a drum kit used extensively along with live trumpet and sax. Indeed, the sax at the beginning sounded like a cross between X-Ray Spex and Morphine.

But the focus quickly shifted to the video screen that featured footage of Pussy Riot preparing for their infamous invasion of Moscow’s Cathedral Of Christ The Saviour church, for which they would eventually be imprisoned.

As Maria and the others shouted out the narrative in Russian, English translation was projected on the big screen, making this the first concert I’ve attended to have sub-titles.

For a while it was difficult to know where to look…on stage? At the screen? Reading the captions? Listening to the music? But eventually the experience took on a life of its own and is was easy to become immersed in the story.

While some audience members attempted to dance along, most stood silently, taking in what was being presented. At one point, the male performer with the impressive abs sprayed water over the crowd.

And there was some costume changes, with the trademark Pussy Riot balaclavas making an appearance.

For myself, and for many of the people I spoke to after the event, this was a powerful performance that highlighted just how important it still is, here in the 21^st century to speak up and try to change social injustice.

Seems pretty punk to me.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Veronica McLaughlin: