The crowd at the ICA is alarmingly hip. Guys in three piece suits and brogues, girls in full on 1940's dresses with hats and gloves. But there is a punk twist their look, collectively. The room is buzzing with anticipation. We are here to see Gogol Bordello, pioneering self proclaimed gypsy punks who hail mostly from the Ukraine via New York City.
The band crash on stage and the room erupts with excitement. Their music is a mish mash of klezma, rock, jazz and punk. Violins, a bucket and an accordion alongside yer more classic guitar and drums combo.
At some point, someone crashes into me. I turn around, slightly affronted, to see a full on mosh complete with crowd surfers is in progress behind me. Clearly stylish dressing is no barrier to audience participation for Gogol Bordello fans.
The whole ensemble is lead from the front by the remarkably charismatic Eugene Hutz. He sports an enviable moustache and has already graced the cover of numerous hip magazines in the States. He recently made his film debut alongside Elijah Wood in Everything is Illuminated. But I would guess that it is on stage that he is most at home. His power and energy are unstoppable as he sings, shouts chants and beats (a bucket, a tambourine, whatever comes to hand really) his way through their set. His connection with the audience is palpable - he is one of those front men who is a lightening rod of expression for the renegades amongst us.
The band - a rag tag of approximately Eastern European stateside émigrés have an age range of around 23 - 60. Their violinist / accordion player looks easily old enough to be Eugene's father if not Grandfather, but keeps pace with Eugene in the energetic performance stakes.
Gogol Bordello are genuinely fresh and exciting band quite unlike any other - bringing back riotous fun to the cutting edge where other bands are busy being caught up in their own too cool for school hipness. Their sounds reflect who they are and the journeys they have made. When they break into `Start wearing purple' (Main hook: `START WEARING PURPLE, WEARING PUUUURRPLE!') the whole room is jumping. By their encore, Eugene has pulled most of the front of the crowd up onstage to join them, before turning his own drum on its side, balancing on the crowd and going for a drum based crowd surf across the room.
Gogol Bordello are on tour around the UK and the USA in March and April.
The were hosted at the ICA in November 2005 by Dash Arts.
