Russia's anti-Putin punks played het Paard venue with support bands from Canada and The Hague!
On 26th June 2025, Pussy Riot brought their Riot Days show to het Paard in the Hague. Canadians New Age Doom and local punks Dolly Min opened for them. Before the concert, Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina was interviewed by Dutch journalists Hubert Smeets and Stefan de Vries.
Maria Alyokhina wrote the book ‘Riot Days‘, upon which the Pussy Riot show is based.
Dolly Min were the first band of the night. They were founded recently. Consisting of Ewa Minderman, singer, Casper Bekhof, guitar, Wouter Andeweg, bass, Wesley Bohemen, drums, and Shanna M. Casey, guitar. Ewa, Wouter and Wesley all work at the Paard venue. Their music reminded me somewhat of the B-52s.
They played a song against Donald Trump and NATO boss Mark Rutte, and against the war in Gaza (they had Palestinian and LGBTQ+ rainbow flags on the stage). As with all of the bands on the night, the hall was crowded, and the audience reacted enthusiastically, dancing and applauding.
The next band announced on the bill were New Age Doom. This Canadian band has played with Pussy Riot drummer Diana Burkot before. In The Hague, only their drummer, Eric J. Breitenbach, played. Sometimes solo, sometimes with an audio tape. The last song of his solo set was one he had recorded with well-known reggae producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry in 2021, just before Perry’s death.
After his solo set, Eric continued drumming: for Pussy Riot. This video shows the beginning of the Riot Days show:
The words spoken or sung in Riot Days are in Russian. However, words in English are projected behind Pussy Riot. So are images of the terrible conditions in Russian prisons, and of state police violence.
Here is a line from the ‘punk prayer’ song which landed Pussy Riot members in jail and labour camps.
As constructive criticism of this impressive and very worthwhile show, I might say that sometimes, the letters on the screen were on the small side, and sometimes they changed so fast that reading properly was a bit difficult.
Here, the letters are big enough; and the message clear!
Riot Days shows that Pussy Riot have always been against Putin. Contrary to, as they pointed out, the military industry in Western countries which had sold weapons to Putin.
Pussy Riot appreciate punk bands from the USA, like Bikini Kill. And bands from the UK, like the Cockney Rejects. The screen behind them showed the slogan “Anyone can be Pussy Riot”, like Anyone can be a Sex Pistol, from the Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle film.
They ended by stating their opposition to the Ukraine war. What a great night in The Hague! Up the Punx!
Main Photo Credit (Maria in Leuven, in Belgium during the 2022 show): by TERRY
July 7, 2025 – Schüür, Luzern, CH
July 8, 2025 – Westpark, Ingolstadt, D
July 9, 2025 – Kino Traumsstern, Lich, D
July 26, 2025 – Bang, Torres Vedras, PT
August 12 to 23, 2025 – Summerhall, Edinburgh, UK
August 24, 2025 – Future Now, Birkenhead, UK
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