Gig Review: Gogol Bordello, Barrymores, Ottawa, ON, February 17 2006

Checked out this gang of
gypsy punks last night after friends saw them blow Cake off the stage in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Think Spirit of the West meets KISS with a little bit of Mick Jagger thrown in for good measure. Nine members, including an accordion player, fiddler, and two kabuki-cum-Cirque de Soleil washboard-playing gals who appear from time to time.

This show was incredibly intense and the capacity crowd loved every minute of it. Perhaps it was because it was a Friday night after a long week, or the ginormous feed of Chinese food I had before the show, but I couldn't get into it as much as other club shows I've seen recently like Electric Six and White Cowbell Oklahoma. However, full marks for originality considering the pathetic American Idol-ized state of the music industry today.

Support your local independent artists today and keep the spirit of rock n' roll alive.

Overall rating: 6/10