Confronting until it hurts
‘SIKSA’ is by no means a friendly term in Polish (street slang Polish, to be precise), comparable to the term ‘airhead’ in English. Spoken word artists Alex Freiheit and bassist Piotr “Buri” Buratyński adopted the derogatory term as a band name and are hard at work giving it a new connotation: the woman strikes back. In 2020, the duo released a film-album combobreaker entitled “REVENGE ON THE ENEMY” (ZEMSTA NA WROGA) – a cutting, personal scream against rape and violence against women.
In their performances, Freiheit and Buratyński combine a menacing punk sound with literary texts that mercilessly denounce misogyny within our society. Freiheit doesn’t shy away from discomfort, but rather draws you in. They push you face-to-face – very, very close – until it hurts. After over three hundred shows throughout Europe, from a squat to major festivals, you can see Poland’s most controversial act right here in Leeuwarden.
“Singer and poet Alex Freiheit stands menacingly on stage like a preacher, writhing on the ground and running half-naked. Behind her is Piotr “Buri” Buratyński, who accompanies her on the bass guitar. It is admirable how he manages to hold the tension in one distorted line for an hour. The minimalist femi-post-punk band Siksa completely dominates the room with their fiery slam poetry.
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– Miloš Hroch, The Wire