Controversial Russian punk-rockers Pussy Riot to play St. Paul on Saturday
What's happening?
Pussy Riot is embarking on its first ever North America tour, and the feminist collective's second date is in St. Paul.
The Russian punk rock collective plays the Turf Club on Saturday night, bringing its unique brand of politically-charged music and artistic expression to the Twin Cities for the first time.
That name is familiar, why?
Because they're arguably known more for their political activism than they are for their music – although they often go hand-in-hand.
Although the number of artists in the group varies, its three leaders have overseen a consistent protest to the regime of Vladimir Putin, which isn't one of the safest things to do behind the Iron Curtain.
As the Turf Club notes, they achieved infamy in 2011 when they started staging masked, guerrilla performances in public locations, promoting gender equality, LGBT rights and opposition to Putin's regime.
This eventually led to leaders Maria Alyokhina, Nadya Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich being arrested following a protest performance at a Moscow cathedral.
They were then convicted in 2012 of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred," and sentenced to 2 years' hard labor in Siberia, prompting an international outcry and support from international artists including Madonna, Bjork and Paul McCartney.
Their 2012 debut album was called "Kill the Sexist!" and songs released that year include "Putin Has Pissed Himself," while in 2016 they released an anti-President Trump song called "Make America Great Again."
Unfortunately, tickets for Saturday night's gig are sold out.
