2018: YEAR OF THE CONTESTATION & THE SOUND OF PROTEST

In May ‘18 it is exactly a half century ago that turbulent student revolts took place in Paris and spread throughout Europe. To mark the occasion, the city of Brussels has designated 2018 as ‘Year of the Contestation’ and asked all cultural players to offer an answer to the question: "What remains of the social, political and cultural revolution 50 years after May ‘68? Which forms of contestation are we familiar with today?"

AB responds and commits to protest music. The current social and political climate is unfortunately an ‘ideal’ source of inspiration. Noteworthy: "It’s remarkable that—in a year hijacked by Trump’s reckless, witless Twitter belches—artists didn’t dive to meet his level" – Pitchfork. And also: "Most of the year's socially conscious music has been far more personal than political" - Consequence Of Sound.

AB delves into the The Sound Of Protest and lets the voices of Turkish social protest songs, London’s grime, the call for (musical) borderlessness, the Black Lives Matter movement and working class heroes fully resound.

Viv Albertine was guitarist and songwriter of influential punk band The Slits. She was amongst the intimi of The Sex Pistols and was a good friend of Joe Strummer & Mick Jones of The Clash. She is generally seen as one of the influential figures of the punk wave that washed over Britain in the ’70s.

Aside from her work with The Slits, she was also a part of Adrian Sherwood’s collective New Age Steppers, she played with Flying Lizards, and she made (TV-) programmes for the likes of the BBC and the BFI.

Her 2nd book, To Throw Away Unopenend, will be released by renowned British publisher Faber&Faber on 5 April 2018. Heidi Lenaerts (Klara) will enter into conversation with Viv in the AB Salon, where they will speak about her life and work, punk and women, feminism, … .