Neo-optimistic punk energy is about to rock Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theatre! Gogol Bordello is performing live in Santa Barbara on July 25, along with punk band Puzzled Panther and Grace Bergere (who will be opening for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in New York City).
Gogol Bordello is a punk rock band with major acclaim based in New York. Ukrainian-American frontman Eugene Hütz is known for promoting punk music through his label, Casa Gogol Records. “The origin of Casa Gogol as a record label was about a decade ago, when it was just a touring entity. It was our own mini version of Lollapalooza, where Gogol Bordello had taken road bands that had a very singular, amazing, innovative sound,” said Hütz, whose label just released a Puzzled Panther album titled Fits of Serenity on July 15.
Prior to their stop in Santa Barbara this weekend, I had the privilege of speaking with the lead singer of Puzzled Panther, Victoria Espinoza, guitarist Kay Bontempo, and Hütz himself. They are very excited to present this album together by touring the West Coast on their California Tour. Gogol Bordello will also headline the Celebrate Brooklyn! performance series in New York on August 2 with Puzzled Panther and Pons.
“Puzzled Panther is an absolutely New York–based band. We love all of our amazing predecessors and legends that came out of that place, but we are also open-minded. We love other influences. Our most recent one was Manchester, England, in the 90s era. And we thought, why don’t we make something cool? Why don’t we make psych-dance punk and combine the two? Take our favorite elements from Manchester, but of course, we have to make it New York, so we’re going to blend those two together,” said Espinoza, the lead singer of Puzzled Panther.
“This was a very ambitious project to undertake, because those two camps don’t usually go together,” said Hütz. “People who are into neo-psychedelic don’t usually mess around with post-punk and hardcore. And here we are, bridging it.”
“New York–style dance ability inspired our creation,” said Bontempo. “Sonic Youth has also always been a huge influence for us. That was a big thing we all bonded over … loving Sonic Youth and their artistry, bizarre guitar tunings, and the genuinely unhinged stuff that they do with their music.”
Gogol Bordello is coming out with a new album soon as well, following their 2022 album, Solidaritine, which will be showcased at their upcoming performances. “That record will have a first single coming out in September, which is extremely danceable and hardcore,” Hütz said.
Gogol Bordello also just released a song with The Yagas titled “Chervona Ruta,” a metal-style twist on a Ukrainian love song that brings their shared roots to light and supports UNITED24, a platform that collaborates with the public to raise donations to provide Ukrainians with aid.
Punk as a genre is often associated with activist ideologies, and both Gogol Bordello and Puzzled Panther aim to advocate for “human rights. “That’s the only message there is, because everything else divides people. In my personal survey of music, people like Bob Marley remain unreplaceable precisely because of this, because they boil down this understanding to a laser focus,” explains Hütz. Both Puzzled Panther and Gogol Bordello expect audiences to dance and have fun at their performances, to match the bands’ vibrant style and energy.
Hütz concludes that his favorite part of touring is feeling laser focused and going with the flow at the same time, “flying by the seat of your pants, because you just show up and you meet the bass player, and then an hour later you’re on stage. That’s insane, but it’s also what makes what we do so special, and what makes it meaningful.”
Tickets for the Gogol Bordello with Puzzled Panther and Grace Bergere show at the Arlington Theatre can be bought here. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday July 25, and will surely be a danceable and memorable experience.
Learn more about Gogol Bordello at gogolbordello.com.
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