Autumn is upon us here in Vancouver, and along with the falling leaves comes a storm of bands blowing through the city. My wallet feeling skinny as it is these days, my two shows for October were Gogol Bordello last week and Flogging Molly with The Gallows later this month. Look for these and other great show reviews on www.westcoastweasel.com, my pal Steve’s much more informative music blog. When it comes to a show like Gogol Bordello however, I can’t help but want to share it here. I took no notes during the show, just got drunk with the flask of spiced rum I snuck in and danced with Ryan in our seats in the upper balcony of the Vogue Theatre.
We missed the opening band, which our seat neighbors informed us sounded like “they were jamming in a friends’ living room,” so no harm done. Eugene Hütz, the bands’ mustachioed front man came on stage first to start off the show with the politically charged “Illumination,” with the other band members soon following suit. Hütz sings “realization number one: you are the only light there is for yourself, my friend,” and they’re off! The band barely paused for a breath between songs, leaving me to wonder if I could hack it at one of the Russian weddings they first started playing at. They were certainly skilled at keeping us enthralled, as I have never been to a show where the audience was so unified. Everyone around us (even up in the nosebleeds) was clapping and dancing along, often out of their own volition.
The cabaret like atmosphere of the show with its level of variety propelled everyone forward through the hour plus set, including the forty five minute encore and then the impromptu jam session the drummer and percussionist started afterward. The percussionist, Pedro Erazo brought his Ecuadorian flavor to songs like “Not a Crime,” with bells and whistles (literally) and dub-like vocalizing. His set up on stage also included a set of timbales and a sample pad which Hutz also played at one point. One of the high points of the show for me was during “Immigrant Punk,” when Hütz put a garbage can over the mic and wailed on it. The percussive elements of the show in general where amazing, held up by the solid rock beats of drummer Eliot Ferguson, who also sang some minor very Eastern vocal accompaniment. Both Pamela Jintana Racine and Elizabeth Sun added to this milieu with their big bass drum, cymbals, choreographed dancing, and vocalizing on songs like “Go Revolutions” (most of the songs played were from the bands’ latest album, Gypsy Punks).
The band members that stood out the most besides Hutz however, were violinist Sergey Ryabtsev and accordion player Yuri Lemeshev, if not for their talent then at least for their novelty. Ryabstevs’ powerful vocals have him sounding like an opera singer on “Start Wearing Purple.” The part of that song which really gets me excited however, was when Hütz sings “I’ve known you since you were a twenty, I was twenty,” because it reminds me of Ryan and I, and how insane we both are (Hutz wrote the song for a girlfriend). I can’t forget to mention bassist Thomas Gobena, whose lines on “Undestructable” coupled with Lemeshev’s accordion makes for a truly great song. This was one of the last and most epic numbers of the show (with every member of the group on stage), and the line “all his hardcore when made with love,” to me at least, really sums up the message that Hütz tries to convey with Gogol Bordello.
Overall, this was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. The nature of the conglomeration itself is significant, with many of its members coming from different Diasporas coming together to form a force of resistance and joy. Hütz himself was a refugee for many years, first displaced by the Chernobyl meltdown , which he references in “Sally,” when he sings “and I survived even fucking radiation.” A punk band with gypsy hearts, not only is Gogol Bordello the most fun to watch, but they actually have something real to say in a world that grows smaller by the day.
Here’s a couple vids for your enjoyment:
Excellent review of a show I was sad to miss, although the venue in my opinion was all wrong. You need space to dance to band like that!
The opening band is Apostle of Hustle from Toronto and they’re pretty great, albeit a little hard to swallow in a main-stream sense. Check them out here; http://www.myspace.com/apostleofhustle
They’re getting a lot of buzz in the Canadian Indie scene so thought you’d like to know
Thanks for the support, PJ. I agree wholeheartedly about the choice of venue – give me the Commodore any day. I’ve heard about Apostle of Hustle before, unfortunately they got a few bad reviews from people I’ve talked to. I’ll have to check it out more myself though!
Awesome… blows away mine. I’ve been waiting for Scott to send mine back but will post it tonight regardless. Waiting longer than a week’s lame. Good job Tare!
Steve