'Peace, Love And Russian Roll': Austrian Band Parties On

Fans still sing and dance away to Russkaja's Soviet nostalgia beats, but the Austrian ska-punk band say their mission to bring "fun and love" has become tricky since Russia invaded Ukraine

Kapfenberg, Austria, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th May, 2022 ) :Fans still sing and dance away to Russkaja's Soviet nostalgia beats, but the Austrian ska-punk band say their mission to bring "fun and love" has become tricky since Russia invaded Ukraine.

"We were concerned. To what extent can you represent something Russian?" Moscow-born lead singer Georgij Makazaria tells AFP in a joint interview with Ukrainian bassist Dimitrij Miller.

"Singing 'The Russians are here' gets stuck in my throat." The group -- one of whose tag lines is "peace, love and Russian roll" -- started in Vienna 17 years ago, after a chance encounter between the two men.

They shot to fame as the house band of one of Austria's most popular late night shows, electrifying young, western Europeans with their blend of "Russian Turbo Polka Metal".

They have now released six albums -- many with left-leaning political messages, like the most recent "No one is Illegal" about a young refugee -- and regularly tour Europe.

But since Moscow invaded Ukraine in late February, the seven-piece band have found themselves in a bind and has even considered changing their name, which stands for "Russia", "ska" and "yes".

They have also rewritten some of their lyrics, which generally mix Russian and English. For example, their plea to Moscow "let's tear down all these walls" has morphed into "Hello, Moskva, let's stop this fucking war".

Miller concedes that since the invasion, bringing fun and partying to their fans has been "extremely hard".

"To be happy on stage when my best friends are fighting there, in war, that's inconceivable," says the 41-year-old, whose cousin headed to the frontline last month to defend his country against Russian troops.