Auktyon (stylized as АукцЫон) is a long-lived Russian alternative rock band formed in 1978. There are nine current members in the band, including Lenya Fedorov (vocals, guitar), Viktor Bondarik (bass), Kolya Rubanov (saxophone), Misha Kolovsky (tuba), Dima Ozersky (keyboards), Vladimir Volkov (double bass), Yuri Parfenov (trumpet), Boris Shaveynikov (drums), and Oleg Garkusha (everything else). All […]

The brief list of online resources has been compiled for those interested in understanding late-Soviet music movements, particularly for rock and punk movements of Leningrad.   I. Resources in English   A. Lecture on Russian punk In the above virtual lecture, Brandeis University PhD candidate and writer Alexander Herbert explores themes detailed in his book […]

Starting in the late 1970s, Leningrad’s rock scene introduced a new wave of western culture to the Soviet public. For some, this wave was a dangerous cultural phenomenon that went against Party norms, but by Perestroika, Soviet rock was well established and had captivated and inspired young listeners. It also created a new sphere of […]

Alyans (which, from the Russian, translates to “Alliance”) started out as a New Wave, synth-pop band from Moscow, Russia that played and recorded in the musical underground from 1981 to 1984 in the Soviet Union. In 1984 the Soviet Union began to persecute underground rock bands who they believed were too closely influenced by the style and music […]

Naumenko was a Soviet rock and blues-rock musician, singer-songwriter, and leader of the Zoopark rock group. Born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Naumenko attended a school with an intensive English-language program where he began to develop an interest in translating from English to Russian. At the age of 8, he heard The Beatles for the first […]

Noll (“Ноль,” meaning “Zero” in Russian) is a Soviet and Russian rock group founded by accordionist “Uncle” Fedor Chistyakov (“Дядя” Фёдор Чистяков), Alexei Nikolaev (Алексей Николаев) and Anatoly Platonov (Анатолий Платонов) in the fall of 1985. The group first appeared at the Leningrad Rock Club with songs from their first album, Music of Fighting Flies […]

One of the most controversial groups Leningrad rock scene, Televizor was founded in 1984 by Leningrad University student Michael Borzykin. It has been through several lives since then, having collapsed and reformed twice, but still continues playing today. It was a loud voice of dissent during the late Soviet period and continues that role today. […]

Sergei Chigrakov (Сергей Чиграков, also called Chizh / Чиж) is a Soviet and Russian singer, songwriter, poet, and guitarist best known as founder and frontman of Chizh & Co (Чиж & Со). He has also participated in Different People (Разные люди), The Colonel and Fellow Soldiers (Полковник и Однополчане), and Shiva (Шива). Born to a […]

Lube (Любэ; also recognized as Ljube or Lyube) is a Russian rock band that formed in the Moscovian suburb Lyubertsy (Люберцы) in 1989. Contrary to the sugary-sweet style saturating pop music at the time, producer and songwriter Igor Matviyenko (Игорь Матвиенко) wanted to incorporate elements of rock, Russian folk music, and Soviet military songs with […]