“There were never any good old days; they are today, they are tomorrow!” shouted Eugene Hutz, the mustachioed singer for Gogol Bordello. And true to his words, his band and its loyal followers at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles partied like there was no tomorrow.
Opening with celebratory song “Ultimate” and the above carpe diem lyrics, these self-proclaimed “Gypsy punks” careened through an hour and a half of unique and fun music. Hutz, a mad musical tornado onstage, and his cohorts combine elements from his native Ukraine (piercing violins, bouncy accordion) with the combined spirits of Joe Strummer and Bob Marley. Inhibitions are left at the door during Gogol shows, which are rife with crowd surfing (Hutz included), fist pumping, and spastic Riverdancing.
Hutz (shown below), also known for his role opposite Elijah Wood in Everything is Illuminated, is an engaging jester. Donning a natty wig and potentially perilous Stiletto boots, he led his multicultural tribe in “Zina-Marina,” a critique on sex slavery. Later slipping into less menacing Chuck Taylors, he kicked up his lanky legs to riotous tunes off 2004’s Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike as Ecuadorian MC Pedro Erazo flitted in front of the crowd in a Lucha Libre mask.
After debasing the dreariness of stateside matrimony (“American Wedding”) and blasting through their demi-hit “Start Wearing Purple,” Gogol delivered a generous four-song encore. As they toasted to the glory of getting drunk (“Alcohol”), their old but spunky Russian violinist, Sergey Ryabtsev, demonstrated his prowess to the delight of the fans.
The night wrapped with a never-ending version of “Harem in Tuscany (Taranta),” an ode to Hutz’s love of Italy. It became an all-out stomper, with backup singers Pamela Jintana Racine and Elizabeth Sun clanging on cymbals and giant marching-band drums. Mama mia, what a spectacle!
-Melissa Bobbitt
Photo credits: Melissa Bobbitt
Gogol Bordello: www.gogolbordello.com
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