MOG

Russia's crazy and I don't understand it, ever. I've been studying its culture for several odd years now and she still surprises me.

Recently I had the good fortune of getting to St. Petersburg just in time to find out about Sonic Youth's first concert in Russia since their Daydream Nation tour back when they use to call it Leningrad.

They were advertised as the most influential band of all time. They were advertised as the band that helped discover the legendary Nirvana. And it was clear that very few people here knew who they were.

While we were waiting outside the old military academy waiting to get in, a local heard me speaking English, and then after conversing with me in a very stoned-breed of Russian for 5 minutes, he asked me if I understood Russian. Then he asked me if I had heard of Sonic Youth before, quite clearly indicating that he hadn't. Anyway, he couldn't pull himself off the wall once he got in. But the rest! They were pressed in a c. 1994 mosh-pit, throwing debris at the stage ... and then all of a sudden the music would stop, become staticy and dissonant and they would stare at the stage. Once one of them even brought out a lighter, but had to put it back again shortly after when the music would return to its previous pitch. It was fantastic.

The set was also fantastic, though I thought with a bit more of a poppy daydream-nation orientation (also a lot of the poppier stuff off Rather Ripped).

This came to a blistering halt when at the very end of the concert they brought the mayhem and most looked very confused (random applause were given at what they figured was the end only to be followed my more madness), many left (telling themselves that they still had NIN to look forward to this summer), but truly it was glorious.

And despite all this snob-like frowning on Russia's rock fans that, by the by, I think you would understand if you were there being shoved about by this bunch of mosh-pitting morons, - despite that, it should be said that these people were a particularly "popsovyi" bunch, and that there were a few people who really loved what they were seeing. I just read a really enthusiastic review of the concert, hailing Sonic Youth as the rebirth of guitars (accepting that most bands here, where Metallica holds the strongest influence of any Western band, have made rock music seem rather boring for at least the past ten years).

That was two days ago. Just tonight, I went to one of the most entertaining concerts of my life - and that is why Russia confuses me. More on Akvarium to follow.