Sound of Music

The weather is dangerously cold and icy underfoot. The trains are late and attempting to travel just 20 miles from York to Leeds on a Saturday afternoon seems to be folly. Arriving 90 minutes later than expected, it’s snowing. Boots to accompany gypsy skirt will never make an appearance. Skiing to Leeds Uni, Slam Dunk are proudly presenting Gogol Bordello in less than half an hour. An affiliation, a way of life, a troupe, a collective with members ranging from Ukraine , USSR , Scotland , Brazil and Australia , from mid-twenties to late sixties, incorporating guitars, drums, hip-hop MC, fire buckets, violin and various percussion Bordello are incendiary. Having fought our way to the near front, the last thing we expected was the crowd to turn into a mosh pit featuring non-stop wall of death, circle of death and madcap pogo-ing. Snowing outdoors, it was carnival time indoors. The back catalogue was played, the new album featured in full, the crowd surfed, someone los...

Gogol Bordello are an eight piece incredible force of energy which turned an icy Saturday night skate to the Refectory into a tsunami of punk-gypsy-rock debauchery. Having watched their release 'Live From Axis Mundi' the month prior to the gig, I knew it would be a show not to be missed yet I wasn't expecting the gig to be so incendiary. Standing in the middle of the Refectory, a fairly decent venue with a stage fit for kings, was never going to be a good idea. Waltzing on to the latest release 'Tribal Connection' the crowds descended into mass circling, moshing pit of carnage...rampaging fun.Within the first five minutes, one unlucky pogo-er had lost their left shoe. Retreating back to admire Hutz and his insane band of fire-bucket force from the edges of the crowd, it was brilliant to watch the showmanship and punk cabaret that Bordello gave. An incredible live performance, every band member give it their all to deliver an intense rendition of songs sp...