Ever the rebel, UK artist M.I.A. got some radical help in opening her performance at New York City’s Terminal 5, employing wanted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as a guest speaker. Assange appeared on screen via Skype, much to the surprise and awe of the crowd.

Assange and M.I.A. are no strangers to each other, Assange helped the artist promote her Vicki Leekx mixtape, inspired by the 2010 WikiLeaks controversy, a year ago, with M.I.A. returning the favour by contributing music to Assange’s TV program, The World Tomorrow.

While Assange is under lockdown in London, M.I.A. is gearing up to release her long-awaited fourth studio album, Matangi, slated for Australian release this Monday. The artist is currently embroiled in a controversy over a stunt pulled at the NFL SuperBowl, in which she flipped off a camera.

UPDATE: Footage of Assange’s opening talk has inevitably found it’s way online, and readers can now check it out for themselves, below.

In the talk Assange describes M.I.A. as “the most courageous woman working in Western music” and laments the fact that he can only appear via Skype from London’s Ecuadorian Embassy, because, as he tells the assembled crowd, “Your government sucks.”

Watch: Julian Assange Opens M.I.A.’s Terminal 5, NYC Show

That is tight as fuck. RT @venusxGG @MIAuniverse Skyped in @wikileaks JULIAN ASSANGE to be the opening act WTFFFF #AMAZING — Big Slim (@SixDimes) November 2, 2013

Julian Assange is skyping us live from London at the start of the M.I.A. concert. pic.twitter.com/h0W0BDvk2Z — Rob Todaro (@rob_tod) November 2, 2013

Julian Assange is actually speaking live (well from London's Ecaudorian embassy) at MIA right now. Lyke whoa #world pic.twitter.com/5onq8plI4x — John Shy (@Jshyman186) November 2, 2013

The opening act for #MIA is Julian Assange. pic.twitter.com/71IzS2XdMH — Jayne Glick (@TripsJ) November 2, 2013