Performing Arts - Moscow - page 403

remote halls in city suburbs. By the 1970s - the Soviet hippie era - such music had deve-
loped a huge following among the disaffected, distrustful youth.
Andrei Makarevich was the leader of Mashina Vremeni (Time Machine), now considered
one of the patriarch groups of Soviet rock. Inspired by the Beatles, the band formed in 1968,
playing simple guitar riffs and singable melodies. Even today, Mashina Vremeni remains
popular across generations.
The god of russky rok, though, was Viktor Tsoy, front person of the group Kino; the
band's classic album is 1988's Gruppa Krovi (Blood Group) . Tsoy's early death in a 1990
car crash sealed his legendary status. To this day, there is a graffiti-covered wall on ul Arbat
that is dedicated to Tsoy, and fans gather on the anniversary of his death (15 August) to play
his music.
Many contemporary favourites on the Russian rock scene have been playing together
since the early days. One of the most notable Moscow bands (originally from Vladivostok)
is Mumiy Troll, led by the androgynous Ilya Lagushenko. After 25 years, the band contin-
ues to produce innovative stuff. Its latest studio album, SOS Matrosu, was released in 2013.
Gaining worldwide renown is Bi-2, whose members Shura and Leva have lived in Israel
and Australia. Their popularity soared with the release of their namesake album in 2000.
The duo is famed for their collaborations with other Russian rock stars. Several years and
several records later, this 'postpunk' duo often appears at Moscow rock festivals.
Making a name for herself in the folk scene, art-rock-folk vocalist Pelageya is apparently
Putin's favourite. She sings rock arrangements of folk songs from around the world. Arkona
represent the incongruous pagan metal movement - heavy metal music that incorporates
Russian folklore, Slavic mythology and other pre-Christian rites. Arkona employs tradition-
al Russian instruments and their lead singer is renowned for her death-growl singing style.
The likes of techno-pop girl duo tATu and pretty-boy singer Dima Bilan (winner of
2008's Eurovision Song Contest) are the tame international faces of Russia's contemporary
music scene. tATu has been mostly on the fritz since 2011, although they did reunite long
enough to perform at the Sochi Olympics.
At the other end of the spectrum, today's most renowned Moscow rockers are Pussy Riot,
a feminist punk rock band, who famously staged a performance in the Cathedral of Christ
the Saviour in protest of Putin's election in 2012. The one-minute performance was used in
their music video Punk Prayer, and led to the arrest of three members of the band. The wo-
men were sentenced to two years in prison, which was widely considered to harsh for the
crime, but they were released on amnesty after about six months.