Pussy Riot & Dorian Electra – The Black Cat – Washington, DC – May 23, 2018 (A PopEntertainment.

Updated: Jun 27, 2022

Pussy Riot & Dorian Electra – The Black Cat – Washington, DC – May 23, 2018

One of the key moments of contemporary artistic disruption that is widely known about occurred in February 2012 when Pussy Riot staged a guerilla performance in a Moscow church. The startling moment led to various band members disappearing, jail time and other controversies.

To get a chance to see the band, at least a version of it with leader Nadya Tolokonnikova, this past Wednesday at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. was incredible. With video images playing behind a rotating cast of performers with ski masks on, it was an exhilarating display of punk and commentary on modern times.

Playing mostly in shadows, the bodies of Pussy Riot jumped and were DJs of discord. Though lacking a direct conversation of the fact that the show was in the nation’s capitol, it was a powerful shared art experience, with the crowd excited by every odd beat, especially when provided by the striking new song “Bad Apples.” If you have a chance to see them you cannot miss it.

Dorian Electra opened with a set of electronic-pop. Entertaining and catchy, the songs about sexuality and gender were a good primer for the main event.

Chris Sikich