Sometimes just the announcement of a release can generate excitement because those that know the connotations of the announcement understand that whatever's coming will be something to behold. Such was the case when Gogol Bordello announced that it would be putting out a new live DVD (the follow-up to 2008's Gogol Bordello Non-Stop) with a companion CD of curiosities this year. Since forming on the Lower East Side of New York in 1999, Gogol Bordello has amassed an enormous and rabid following in North America and Europe on the strength of a near-ceaseless touring schedule and a tradition of delivering fantastic spectacles every night that they appear on stage. Singer Eugene Hutz is a notorious mad man in the live setting and he, the band and anyone in attendance at the band's shows tend to feed off each other's energy until, eventually, everyone involved reaches a state of ecstatic mania.
That's the lore anyway, and the thought of such reckless abandon is an attractive prospect – but how does one really know for sure unless they've borne witness – right? The proof is always in the total package; seeing the band, seeing the crowd's reaction to them and hearing the music. That's how the real magic happens. Surely, after ten years, the band must know this.
As the set opens and Gogol Bordello hits the ground running at Irving Plaza, they prove right away that they do indeed know the power that their live show holds over people. From note one of “Ultimate,” Hutz is already on fire and so into the show that he's virtually salivating and violin mangler Sergey Ryabtsev is already losing horsehair frantically from his bow. Needless to say, the band has started in overdrive and leaves the capacity crowd at Irving Plaza breathless to make up the ground and catch them and, when they do (in the ever-so-brief pause between “Sally” and “Not A Crime”) the result is like an orgiastic meeting; the band pushes harder and harder through “Mishto,” “60 Revolutions” and “Start Wearing Purple,” and the crowd is right there with the band every step of the way; soaking it all in and giving the same level of excitement back as they're getting.
It is (or certainly should be) important to point out that, as spectacular as the band gets during this set, there is no high point or cliff-hanging climax during the show at Irving Plaza because the energy level starts at its peak at the beginning of the show and stays there the whole time. While the performances of “Sally,” “Think Locally, Fuck Globally” and “Punk Rock Parranda” are all incredible spectacles to behold, they do not necessarily sit above any of the rest because that level of high energy remains constant throughout. The way that “Live From Axis Mundi” is shot helps with this too; fast-as-lightning jump cuts and camera angles that occasionally swim and sway with the audience characterize the footage and give the impression to viewers of an ever-faster whirling dervish that will not stop until it finally collapses to the ground or the band spontaneously combusts – whichever comes first. In the end, the band gives one final explosion in the form of “Baro Foro” before they leave the stage. Of course, it's entirely possible that the crowd could beg for more, but what do the hope to get really? Hutz is already a dripping, sweaty mess and the band has ridden the tide of the audience for over an hour and there aren't many members of the band or audience that aren't ready to collapse from exhaustion. As the footage fades with a thankful goodnight from Hutz, the audience, drained, still begs for more; they just need to be ravished again.
If ever there were a guarantee of repeat business, it is that.
On a comparative scale, the CD included with Axis Mundi is a very different sort of affair. Collecting performances that Gogol Bordello has done live at the BBC as well as a few session outtakes and demos, the companion disc aurally illustrates that the whole Gogol Bordello show isn't all a put-on; even in more confined spaces, the band's energy is infectious and threatens to blow wide open. In songs like “Ultimate” and “American Wedding,” Eugene Hutz seems to bounce off the speakers of headphones and get right in the face of listeners at every turn. It's a rabble-rousing sensation and, even without all of the other added live stimulus, listeners walk away feeling as if they might want to fight or start singing too; the sounds are just that potent.
After such a gushing summation, how could anyone not assume that “Live At Axis Mundi” isn't a definitive account of Gogol Bordello's faculties as a live act? The DVD is a white-hot-snd-glowing document of Gogol Bordello and leaves all the blood and sweat in to further entice viewers and further drive up ticket sales. If you see it, it will work – after catching it from the comfy seat, you're going to itch to feel and experience it in the pit.
Band:
www.gogolbordello.com/
Official Fan Forum – avenue-b.net/forum/
www.myspace.com/gogolbordello
Watch:
Gogol Bordello "Live From Axis Mundi" trailer
Gogol Bordello with Madonna at Live Earth 2007
Album:
"Live From Axis Mundi” is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
