BJÖRK throws support behind PUSSY RIOT, JULIAN ASSANGE at Pukkelpop 2012


Bjork and choir, pic by Mikala Taylor

On the eve of a Russian judge making a ruling regarding the members of the punk band Pussy Riot, Icelandic singer Björk was the latest musician to voice her support for the three women jailed for staging an anti-government protest in a Moscow church.

“We live in strange, difficult times,” Björk said in front of an enormous crowd at Belgium’s Pukkelpop festival, before launching into her set closer “Declare Independence”, which she dedicated to both Julian Assange and Pussy Riot, saying “let’s hope it has been a fair trial, FREE PUSSY RIOT!”

Björk’s statement wasn’t the only spectacle of the night – her performance involved huge graphics of starfish, fjords, the moon and volcanoes, red fireworks, an all-woman dancing choir (the Polyphonic Valkyrie?) dressed in gold and blue sequined robes, a lightning-ball cage and, of course, the outfit she was in: an oversized blue yarn-like wig, leggings and a sparkling black dress made of stuffed tubes.

Unsurprisingly, the bonkers pop pixie was the highlight of the 14hour first day of the festival, and she managed to lure a number of Pukkelpop artists away from their comfy backstage catering: High Contrast and Tommy from Django Django and I watched her together, (“God, I just love her choir” remarked Lincoln High Contrast”) as did members of the Horrors and Hot Chip. Alexis Hot Chip was scene wheeling his daughter’s pram through the crowd during “Possibly Maybe”.

Full days’ round up and a vast amount of pics of the whole Pukkelpop experience coming soon on BSR! Flanders, I have learned, really IS a festival 😉 \m/

UPDATE: The three members of Pussy Riot were today sentence to serve two years in jail. “We’re bummed,” exclaimed Samantha Urbani, singer with Brooklyn buzz band Friends at Pukklepop today. “It’s hot out there, but at least we’re not in jail.”


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