Rammstein Kiss Onstage In Gigantic Fuck You To Putin And Homophobic Russian Laws
Now that's fucking punk.
Given that they came to fame in the ’90s, one could be forgiven expecting that German heavy metal act Rammstein might have a fairly reductive idea of what it actually means to be subversive.
After all, a couple of decades ago, it was possible to piss people off simply by going for the easy targets: the Church, people who think the word ‘carcass’ is gross, etc. Most mainstream bands of that era courted infamy by making their record cover a particularly gnarly picture of Satan, rather than taking a real stand on an issue that might actually ruffle a few feathers.
Well, turns out we all underestimated Rammstein. Sure, they might have once upon rested their legacy on the back of liquid-squirting dildos or photos in which band members wear dog muzzles, but these days they are embracing true punk, and pissing off the repressive forces of capitalistic control edging the planet towards total destruction.
For instance: a few days ago, during a concert in Russia, the band staged a dynamic and seemingly unrehearsed protest against the country’s repressive LGBTIQ discrimination laws when guitarists Paul Landers and Richard Kruspe kissed. The act was in direct defiance of Vladimir Putin’s “gay propaganda” law, passed in 2013, which made it illegal to normalise homosexuality.
Since the protest, Rammstein have doubled down on the message that it sent, sharing a photograph of the act on their Instagram page with the caption, ‘Russia we love you.’
Now that’s fucken’ metal. Watch it happen below (the kiss happens just before the five minute mark).
Lead image: Instagram / @Rammsteinofficial