Punkvert are Paul and Emma Blackwood - a handfasted partnership of love, lust and lycanthropy. A prince and princess fairy tale (though we're not sure which one's which) though in this not-so-Grimm story, the Witch stuck an apple in Snow White's mouth, got the pesky kids in the cauldron. The gingerbread man danced gleefully around in the riot-light with one chewed off leg and seven dwarfs, who all held fast in a daisy chain. All we need now is the wurlitzer. Any takers?
Since first qualifying for the top 20 world VJs in 2005, punkvert have sent further anarcho vibes into art with many more new collaborations and shows. They have continued to work with French electri-pop singer song writer William Besson playing numerous gigs in the UK and France, including the Whitechapel Art Gallery, Angers Electronic Live Acts Festival and Bush Hall, where they also performed with Kate Havenevik and Guy Sigisworth. Punkvert are now VJ-ing for Temposhark performing with them at the Tate Modern and Latitude Festival, along with performance artist Ryan Styles, as part of the Noise of Art space where they also VJ-ed for Ben Osborne.
Punkvert continued to join in the fight against the rise of the far right with their work for Love Music Hate Racism, and Unite Against Fascism, performing at a tribute to murdered teenager Anthony Walker in Liverpool with Ms Dynamite and Roll Deep. In April they organized the visual acts and performed in Trafalgar Square to a crowd of 45,000 people with a huge line up including Babyshambles, and Boy Kill Boy. In Autumn 2006, Punkvert performed again in Ilford with Dirty Pretty Things and at Fabric with musicians such as Lethal Bizzle and Babyshambles.
Throughout
the spring, and summer season, they have provided quality creations
for the Burly
Q Cabaret, including a short film and live VJing
for them both at the Spring and Summer Pageants in the Bethnal Green
Working Men's Club and the Latitude Festival. They have also collaborated
with Burly Q's Devillia
de Dallas, providing a backing band called
Anarchistwood
(which is teetering on the edge of chaotic world sub/domination) and
live visuals at the Big Chill, Lock 17 and Outlaw. Punkvert now provide
visuals at Outlaw,
hosted by Alabama
3, where they have worked with numerous bands such
as The Larry Love Showband, The Council, The Thirst, Robert Love and
the Nihilistics, Pam Hogg, Sandy Dillon and King Kurt.
+
New AV set up ControlZ! ControlZ! - a punkvert project - thrilled crowds at the Shortwave Films night in 93ft East and 'X Marks the Spot' in Bath. Punkvert performed live AV sets at the AV Social, Shortwave Films 7th birthday in the Coronet SE1 and the Roxy Bar and Screen. Music for these projects has been published on the second punkvert album 'Violent Moodswingers'
For the Big Chill, punkvert were lucky enough to work with Lost Vagueness at the Chapel, where they performed handfasting ceremonies by day (as Father funkcutter and Sister candiflip) and VJ-ed at night for acts such as The Grit, Gob$au$age, Paloma Faith, Miss Pink and some very exotic burlesque and circus acts. Festival season was completed with at the first Bloom, where they had an awesome 6 hour mash up with VJ Mondo and B>D>S with music from Stompaphunk in the Lost Disco.
Back in London, Punkvert followed their previous successes at the Portobello Film Festival with the first-cut screening of their first feature length documentary film - 'Tales from the Treatment Rooms - The Luis Ramirez Story', a tale about London mosaic artist Baroness von Reichardt's tribute to her unjustly executed penpal on Texas' Death Row. The preparation, installation and unveiling of the 22 x 6 ft mural in Chiswick by Luis's family who flew over from the USA is lovingly interspersed with interviews with the artists and Luis' family. The whole film has been made in a VJ style, with much original music from creative genius Paul Blackwood. Punkvert and the Treatment Rooms organised a special Death Row Awareness night - The Human Approach - on the 20th October 2006, the anniversary of Luis Ramirez's execution, with speakers from MOJO, Amnesty International and Reprieve, where the remixed film was screened.
Punkvert once again made it into DJMag's roster of World Top 20VJs in late 2006 and continue to work on their many projects - particularly anarchistwood - in wedded and anarchic bliss. Blessed Be!