Ad-Rock from Beastie Boys made his first public appearance since the death of his bandmate Adam Yauch, aka MCA, in May.
Ad-Rock – real name Adam Horowitz – was due to make a DJ appearance on Tuesday night at Brooklyn's Death By Audio Club in support of Russian feminist band Pussy Riot, three of whose members remain in jail. Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samucevich were arrested after staging a protest against president Vladimir Putin. They were charged with hooliganism and face up to seven years in prison.
Members of Pussy Riot staged an impromptu performance after breaking into Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February, and sang the song Holy Shit in defiance against the church's support for Putin. They were arrested the day before Putin was elected.
Heliotropes, Shady Hawkins and TinVulva were also scheduled to appear at the fundraising event, which was put on by the feminist art group Permanent Wave to raise money for the womens' legal fees.
Horowitz and Mike Diamond, the other surviving Beastie Boys, have kept a low profile since the death of their bandmate from cancer. Neverthless, there has already been speculation about unreleased Beastie Boys material. Producer Mario C told NME this week that Yauch had been in the studio up until a few months before he died.
He said: "The guys told me that he wanted to record. So they hung out and did what they used to do – just lay it down and have fun. He would want people to hear it if it was good. I'm not sure what his voice was sounding like at that point. I'm sure the guys would be very tasteful in using anything. If it was supposed to be heard and it's appropriate then it will happen."
