Bête Noire pledges to ‘Piss on Putin’

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Reggie Myers is a writer and communications professional living in Philadelphia, Pa., where he graduated from Temple University. Music, television, film, books, video games, politics, and human sexuality are just a few of the many things that make him tick. When he's not working behind a computer screen, you can find him looking for new adventures, practicing photography, scheming ways to get to the front row of a concert, or scouring the corners of the internet for new music to put his friends on to. @reggieakil

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Today, London rock band Bête Noire released their anti-Vladimir Putin anthem titled ‘Piss on Putin’.

The band members were inspired by a poster which depicted Putin being pissed on during a pre-Winter Olympics protest in London. The protests were meant to combat the homophobia the Russian LGBT+ community is facing.

Image Credit: Victoria SinIn 2013, Putin signed a number of anti-LGBT+ laws in Russia including a law which prevents same-sex couples and individuals from adopting children and a law which outlaws ‘gay propaganda’ (a very broad term). An increase in violent attacks on the LGBT+ community were reported after the passing of these laws. A report on Russia’s anti-LGBT+ laws can be found at The Council for Global Equality.

The resulting song, ‘Piss on Putin’, is a dark and defiant anthem against Putin’s actions. Call it the ‘perfect call out song’, if you will. Over hard hitting drums and guitars, the lead singer sings angrily about his disgust with Putin’s actions, while warning the rest of the international community against idleness lest they want to see a repeat of history.

https://soundcloud.com/betenoiremusic/pop-aj-15-june-v1

Bête Noire consists of David Hargreaves, Danny Defalco, Billy Bloom, Andrew G, and James Whitfield. The band only has two singles but have already made quite a splash with coverage from NME, Clash Magazine, and XFM.

David Hargreaves is a self-identified queer cisgender man. In a statement concerning posters at a demonstration outside Downing Street in London, Hargreaves said, ‘Seeing these posters had a powerful impact on me considering the severe hatred shown towards all things LGBT by the Russian Government at the time, such as Russia’s Sports Minister confirming that athletes who engaged in ‘propaganda’ of their homosexuality could be arrested!’

He then went on to say, ‘I tend to steer away from politically charged musical statements, but I really felt so strongly about the current political climate in regards to how thousands of people were being treated over in Russia.’

‘I felt that I needed to contribute and stand up in my own little way, which resulted in this song.’

Bête Noire plans to release more singles along with an EP during the first quarter of 2015. They will also be working on a debut album, which we will receive more details on as the release date draws closer.