Gogol Bordello / Rock City / Nottingham

Nov 1

Nov 1 Gogol Bordello / Rock City / Nottingham

A trip into Nottingham and the hallowed surroundings of Rock City, for the visit of Brooklyn NY folk punks Gogol Bordello.

Up first in support we have a set from led by New Yorkers Victoria Espinoza and Kay Bonatempo. A great set, with echoes of those 70’s NY nights of edgy experimental music from the likes of early Blondie. The music is guitar focused with some raucous fast riffs. Maybe the highlight was the cover of fellow NY legends The Velvet Underground and their hit Venus in Furs during which Eugene from Gogol Bordello joins them on guitar. IT has a totally different vibe / taker on the original, more modern and indie in flavour and it works brilliantly.

Next up, and much closer to home are Bristol natives Split Dogs, this time, with an old school 80’s punk feel - fresh, bold and exciting ! They are on it tonight and deliver a steller set packed with ferocious riffs pounding drums and wild vocals. What was great, was the relaxed nature and ease with which they interacted with the Rock City crowd. Guitarist Mill Martinez in particular joking and laughing with the crowd, it made for a fun and enjoyable experience.

Musically too, they are on it, and vocalist Harry is in stunning form, delivering the lyrics with ferocious power, matched by the energy from the band.

Finally it’s time to head back to New York for tonight’s headliners for Gogol Bordello. They’re hard to describe. It’s a kind of world music, taking folk / punk as it’s basis but mixing in different cultures and styles, and other genres such as reggae.

Formed in 1999 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, they are a collective of musicians from all over the world, led by the enigmatic Eugene Hutz, they have a particularly strong Roma and Ukrainian influence, but meld these together with a wide range of instruments from traditional violin and accordion to sax and synth.

Rock City is pretty packed for this one. The band take to the stage to a huge roar from the crowd. Eugene makes his entrance and walks across the stage, then back to the drum riser and picks up a bottle of red wine. He raised it high, and then in a trademark manner, slammed it down on a monitor, wine spraying everywhere,as the band rip into the opening track.

The current line-up consists of Eugene Hutz (vocals & guitar), Sergey Ryabtsev (violin), MC Pedro Erazo, Korey Kingston (drums), Gil Alexandre (bass), Leo Tek (guitar), and Erica Mancini (accordion).

The band tear through the set, like a tornado through the mid-west. The energy levels are just off the scale, as they all move around the stage pulling poses and interacting with the crowd. Thereis a raucous energy and power to their music, and it truly transcends boundaries. The punk and folk roots are there, but at times theres reggae, or even a dubstep feel, especially when MC Pedro steps forward to dance and sing.

Maybe lesser known than many bands, Gogol Bordello are a live experience like no other. The closest in terms of raw energy and fun would be something like Skinny Lister.

The absolute highlight for me was a short version of the quirky Start Wearing Purple (forever immortalised as a spoken word section in Mad Dog McRae’s “The Happy Bus”) – hippy psyche magic ! Gogol are joined on stage by Puzzled Panther for Wataka which goes down a storm with the Nottingham crowd. They end the set with Undestructable (from 2005’s “Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike”) which is a riot of a song, and Rock City is jumpin’

A whirlwind of a night, the energy in the room is just incredible, but always positive and fun. Great company, great music – what more could you ever ask for? Overall a truly enjoyable night, and I can’t recommend Gogol Bordello enough.

Setlist

Sacred Darling (Voi-La Intruder 1999)

I Would Never Wanna Be Young Again (Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike 2005)

Not a Crime (Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike 2005)

Immigrant Punk (Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike 2005)

Wunderlust King (Super Taranta! 2007)

My Companjera (Trans-Continental Hustle 2010)

Dance Rounda Fire

From Boyarka to Boyaca ((Single 2024)

Ignition

Comin’ Rougher

We Mean It, Man! (Single 2025)