Pussy Riot will appear at the Bristol restaurant next month

They’ve been arrested and jailed for a punk rock show inside Moscow Cathedral, beaten by Cossacks for trying to disrupt the Winter Olympics, and escaped Putin’s Russia disguised as delivery drivers. And now Pussy Riot, or at least two members of the anarcho-punk collective, are set to appear in Bedminster.

Masha Alyokhina, who was one of two jailed for the performance inside the cathedral that announced Pussy Riot to the world, will appear alongside bandmate Olga Borisova at Hen & Chicken next month.

The event is titled “Democracy in Crisis in the Age of Putin and Trump – Lessons from Russia with Pussy Riot” and will see the pair share their experiences of standing up to Putin, being repeatedly arrested and imprisoned, and their work with Pussy Riot. .

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The event will take place on Wednesday 26 June from 7.30pm and is organized by Altered State and hosted by Rudy Millard.

“Democracy is not handed down to people forever by God, it was fought for by people who lived before you,” said Maria “Masha” Alyokhina. “Without the continuation of this struggle and your respect for its importance, it can easily collapse,” she added.

Members of Pussy Riot have appeared in Bristol on occasion over the years, with members performing in a cage at Banksy’s Dismaland in Weston. Since escaping the Putin regime in Russia, Alyokhina has taken on the name Pussy Riot on a tour of Western Europe to raise money for victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The feeling that democracy is under siege is acute,” said an Altered State spokesman. “Nationalist and populist movements in the free world seem poised to curtail hard-won freedoms, while one-party states and dictatorships are on the march worldwide. We will ask what happens to democracy when there is no opposition, free media and a servile judiciary.

“And as the U.S. approaches a MAGA fork with its election in November, we’ll think about the unthinkable and ask: It couldn’t happen here, right? We must cherish our vote and freedom of speech while we still have it,” he added.

“Pussy Riot are no strangers to Bristol having played here a number of times and we’re delighted to bring them back for an intimate chat. “Pussy Riot continues to attract attention for their artistic endeavors around the world and we are delighted to be behind the hoods with two of their most prolific members,” he said.