In an interview this morning with Sky News, John claimed that “If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him – as the Christian person that he was and the great person that he was – saying this could not happen,” before adding “He was all about love, compassion, forgiveness and trying to bring people together. That’s what the church should be about.”

During the interview he also took a swipe at the Church Of England, stating that their refusal to allow gay clergy to marry was “old and stupid”, though he did concede that Pope Francis and Justin Welby were providing “signs of hope” with their more tolerant views.

The singer also revealed that he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in November. Admitting that he doesn’t “know what good it will do,” Sir Elton noted that “unless you build a bridge, it’s no good putting up a wall and saying ‘I’m not talking to these people.’ The only thing that gets solved is by talking to people.”

This is the protest-groups first appearance since ‘Punk Prayer’, a song that won them international acknowledgement, especially in the west, gaining endorsement from the likes of Paul McCartney and Madonna. Their flagship video was shot in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, an act that led to the imprisonment of three members Nadezhda Tolokonnikva, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich on charges of hooliganism, a sentence that much of the world regarded as a travesty. The band claim that ‘Like a Red Prison’ aims to draw attention to Putin’s practice of circumventing the majority and sharing the vast oil proceeds with his closest allies.

The song is complete with its usual, charmless vocals, screeching remonstrations with buzzy guitars grinding in the background, however the introduction is far from talentless. The bass and drums jog in syncopation with palm-muted metal crunches accenting the jutting groove, until the singer blurts out in an anxious howl. From this point onwards it’s virtually unlistenable, but after-all the message supersedes the sound.

It is important for us to acknowledge such staunch protest music in an age where it is considered cliché. Considering the groups brush with incarceration, the bravery these women show is highly commendable. The bemused looks on the oil-workers face in this video encapsulates the lack of understanding, whether it be wilful ignorance or not, that many people in ‘state-subjugated’ societies are burdened with.

You can watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOM_3QH3bBw