Since at least the 19th century there has been a parallel world in Russia - a place where they haven't heard of Tolstoy, Tchaikovsky, Communism or Ballet. They only heard of Stalin when he tried to arrest them all. Vodka, tattoos, money, guitars, drugs, jail, and girls (including dear old mama) are the mainstays of this world - the world of the Russian criminal.

For the first time ever in Australia, VulgarGrad bring you the old songs of the Russian thieves (called blatnie pesny or blatnyak), along with punk classics of the Perestroika era and a strong dose of contemporary St. Petersburg swearing ska. The band delivers this music with style, raucous menace, stripy shirts and a smattering of grim smiles (very important). Legend of stage and screen, Jacek Koman (Children of Men, Moulin Rouge) is the genial but vengeful frontman who roars with the voice of a man betrayed, and he is backed by a gang of Australia's most illustrious ex-cons drawn from bands such as The Ennio Morricone Experience, Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, Zulya and the Children of the Underground, Croque Monsieur, Blue Drag, and the Five Angry Men. Line-up is guitar, drums, trombone, trumpet, accordion, and watch out for the largest, most triangular instrument of them all, the mighty contrabass balalaika.

It's vodka-fuelled oompah swing ska punk - gulag-style.
www.myspace.com/vulgargrad

VulgarGrad are: Jacek Koman: vocals Andrew Tanner: contrabass balalaika Renato VaCirca: drums Ros Jones: trombone Adam Pierzchalski: trumpet Nara Demasson: guitar Phil McLeod: piano accordion

New CD due out in June. Buy our old CD here:

Download one of our songs here:

Right click (Windows) or Control click (Apple Mac) on the three legged dog and save the Alkogolik.mp3 file. Play on any mp3 player.
Alkogolik - a song written by the legendary St. Petersburg drunken hooligan icon of contemporary Russian blatnyak, Sergei "Shnur" Shnurov (with liberal translation by VulgarGrad). His band Leningrad has rescued Russian criminal music from blokes with synths playing to fat Mafiosi in suits, and given it back to the people. "I'm an alcoholic, and a fucking dickhead!"