Gogol Bordello, Peat & Diesel and Puzzled Panther
Gogol Bordello deliver but are put in the shade by the amazing Peat & Diesel
It must be over a decade since I last saw GOGOL BORDELLO, at this very venue. They’ve been through a few changes in that time, with only three of tonight’s septet having been in the band back then. The multiple line-up changes have made little discernible difference to the band’s sound, however: it is still Balkan-inflected gypsy punk. But more of that later.
New York City’s PUZZLED PANTHER open proceedings with aplomb. A three piece of stand-up drums, guitar/vox and vox/occasional acoustic bring a post-punk vibe that reminds me of the likes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Cramps and dear ol’ Johnny Thunders. At times, the sound gets a touch thin and a live bassist might not go amiss but otherwise I have no complaints.
I’ve been intrigued by PEAT & DIESEL since catching them on an episode of The Misadventures of Romesh and was expecting good things. Well, they absolutely did not disappoint and it would be fair to say I was blown away by their Western Isles take on a cross between Stiff Little Fingers and The Pogues. I think it would also be fair to say that a significant proportion of the audience are here as much - if not more - for Peat & Diesel as for Gogol Bordello. Stornaway provokes the night’s first singalong. Peat & Diesel are unpolished, there is a distinct lack of stage craft and all three play seated but the music is properly uplifting, energetic stuff. A cover of Dirty Old Town (a fixture in their set) is dedicated to Shane MacGowan but, if anything, it is overshadowed by rousing takes on Island, Western Isles and Country Boy. By ‘eck, I wanna see this band again.
From the moment they take to the stage, it is clear that time has not slowed GOGOL BORDELLO down. The show is just as energetic and chaotic as ever. Vocalist/guitarist Eugene Hütz charges around like an enraged bull whilst bellowing in that distinctive voice. Percussionist and MC Pedro Erazo is an absolute ball of energy, staying – just – on the right side of entertaining over annoying. On violin, Sergey Ryabtsev cuts a sartorially elegant, elder statesman-like figure. Newer members Boris Pelekh (guitar, joined 2015), Korey Kingston (drums, joined 2020), Gill Alexandre (bass, joined 2021) and Erica Mancini (accordion, joined this year) fit right in.
The first few songs – at least where I am standing – are afflicted by a horribly sludgy mix. It is only four songs in, on Immigrant Punk, that the sound starts to come together. That said, Wanderlust King sounds nothing like I remember. My Companjrera is as emotionally charged as the dedication to Hütz’s family in Ukraine. Two-thirds of Puzzled Panther join them for Fire On Ice Floe. A Samba inflected Transcontinental Hustle leads into a rap-calypso American Wedding, which I find to be a frankly horrible version of my favourite GB song. As so often happens, I am alone on this and everyone else here is digging it. Anyway, storming versions of Start Wearing Purple and My Strange Uncles From Abroad, along with an excerpt of Gangsters by The Specials (almost) make up for it. Finishing with a jammed out, extended cover of Angelic Upstarts Solidarity is a brave move and I have no idea what Mensi (RIP) would have made of it but it works.
