March 4, 2008
Gogol Bordello have been described as sounding like "The Clash and The Pogues having a fight ... in Eastern Europe."
I prefer: "Tevye from 'Fiddler on the Roof' fronting a rock band."
But these metaphors, elaborate as they are, don’t even begin to describe Gogol Bordello’s outrageous sound.
Officially, they’re considered "gypsy punk," which is probably the most concise descriptor possible, though it fails to take into account their varied influences.
Whatever you call them, Gogol Bordello are fantastic, and on March 1, they put on a raucously fun concert at the Electric Factory, kicking off their Forces of Victory Tour.
The show opened with a performance from British band Skindred, which also require lots of adjectives (they call themselves "ragga punk metal," which is a nice compromise to the argument I had with one of my friends over whether they were metal or punk).
The group was talented, and the lead singer, Benji Webbe, was quite entertaining, with a great voice.
But they left me a little cold. I’m just not a big metal fan, and I wished Webbe would sing a little more instead of screaming.
Also, he kept yelling at us to move around (which got a little repetitive: There are only so many times you can put your hands in the air, you know?), and I kind of felt like I was rocking out because I was obligated to and didn’t want to make him feel bad.
But when Gogol Bordello started playing, I definitely wasn’t dancing out of a sense of guilt.
The band is fronted by the extremely charismatic, energetic Eugene Hütz. Hütz originally hails from the Ukraine, but his family was forced to flee after the Chernobyl meltdown.
Hütz ended up in New York City, where he founded both Gogol Bordello and the gypsy punk movement.
Among his other accomplishments: He starred in the movie "Everything is Illuminated," was the inspiration behind Gucci’s fall 2008 menswear collection and is able to jump around in high heels better than I can walk in them. During the show he wore heels, extremely tight pants and not much else.
Hütz is a brilliant performer, but his band deserves just as much credit. The multi-ethnic group includes a diverse array of instruments ranging from the traditional guitar and drums to a violin and accordion. And trust me, you have not lived until you’ve moshed to an accordion.
Indeed, Gogol Bordello’s shows are notoriously crazy and fun. There was moshing, crowd surfing and never a dull moment.
The show opened with the anthemic "Ultimate" off their acclaimed new record "Super Taranta!" (for all three of you who care, the album would have totally been on my Best of 2007 list if I had heard it at press time).
They mostly played tracks from "Super Taranta!" such as "American Wedding," "Zina Marina" and "Wonderlust King," but they also played some older favorites like "Start Wearing Purple" and "Not a Crime."
The band never seemed to take a break; by the end, I think I was more tired then they were. Certainly, I was thirstier; when they started pouring water bottles on the crowd, I kept hoping they’d just toss me one before I died of dehydration.
They kept it up throughout the long, drawn-out (in a good way) encore.
Overall, the Gogol Bordello concert was amazingly fun. I’m still not a 100 percent sure how to describe them, but the band’s eclectic, outrageous style is definitely worth checking out.
There’s a gypsy punk revolution, and even If I can’t define it, I’m a believer.
