There’s a strong connection between Gogol Bordello and Italy that arises from the time the frontman Eugene Hutz spent around Europe and especially in Italy in his late teens. They love playing for the italian crowds and the italian fans are always eager to party with them at their shows. Gogol Bordello are currently on their Fall ’25 EU/UK tour.
Gogol Bordello have been active for more than 30 years despite several changes in the line-ups. The current line-up consists of the Eugene Hutz (voice and guitar ), the founding memeber and frontman, Sergey Ryabtsev (violin), Pedro Erazo (percussions, MC), Korey Kingston (drums, Gil Alexandre (Bass), Erica Mancini (Accordion) and Leo Mintek (lead guitar). The band’s self-declared mission is to mix acts of music, chaos, theatre and sorcery to awaken a neo-optimistic communal movement rooted in the blend diverse world’s cultures, sounds and references. This is further strengthened by the different nationalities, ethnicities and rich cultural heritages of its members which come together from Ukraine, Russia, Brazil, Ecuador and the different cultural backgrounds of the USA.
In the spirit of cultural cross-contamination, Gogol Bordello’s Fall’25 EU/UK tour features several opening acts. Tonight, we were blessed by the presence of the British punk band Split Dogs, which I accidentally discovered a few weeks before they were announced as the support act for the italian dates of this tour. Split Dogs, from Bristol, mix a fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll and the most typical british punk sounds into a gut-punching set. The band consists of drummer Chris, guitarist Mil, bassist Suez and vocalist Harry. From the very first notes, the crowd knew that their performance that night would have been memorable. Harry’s showpersonship and energy are rare. If you’re not amongst the lucky ones that can catch them on tour, I can only recommend listening to their debut album Split Dogs (2023) and their latest release Here To Destroy (2025).
Gogol Bordello got on stage around 22.20, the band started grooving to the notes of “Sacred Darling,” when Eugene Hutz got on stage with an open bottle of wine that he vigorously placed on one of the speakers of the stages producing an explosion of droplets that scattered all over the crowd. Then came “I Would Never Wanna Be Young Again,” “Not A Crime,” and “Immigrant Punk” — exactly as they appear on their cult album Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike (2005). The crowd is already roaring and moving to Gil Alexandre’s bass lines when the band introduced “Wonderlust King” which gets everyone from the barricade, all the way to the bar, on their feet dancing whilst singing the ‘Da da da da da’ chorus.
Simply reducing Gogol Bordello to a band or a collective would be extremely reductive, Gogol Bordello embrace a way of living that draws from multiculturality, peace and unity. The second part of the set is the most political one, as if there was anything non-political about Gogol Bordello. “My Companjera” was dedicated to the Ukrainian people and their resistance and during the introduction to “Immigraniada” Pedro Erazo got the crowd singing ‘Peace, Love, Unity and Justice.’ The band was joined on stage by surprise guests, the NYC-based due Puzzled Panther for “From Boyarka to Boyaca” which explores the deep connections between the people of Eastern Europe and the people of South America. The band also played their latest single “We Mean It Man” and an unreleased song by the provisional name “No Time For Idiots.”
It’s time for more dancing with “Start Wearing Purple” and “Mishto,” and “Pala Tute” before closing off the set with “Solidarity,” once again a dedication to the people of Ukraine, and “Think Locally Fuck Globally.”
It took the crowd a long time and a lot of effort to convince the band to come out again for an encore, but eventually Hutz came out with his nylon-strings guitar to play a medley of “Alcohol,” “Through The Roof ‘n’ Underground,” and “Santa Marinella” which always has the italian crowds roaring as they can join the singer in his majestic use of italian swear words.
The whole gang joins again for one last dance “Understructable” as indestructible is their legacy and the connections they create every night with their fans.
Gogol Bordello are still on tour across Europe this month. Catch them in: Barcelona 09/10, Madrid 10/10, Lisbon 11/10, Porto 12/10, Bilbao 14/10, Ramonville-St-Agne 16/10, Nantes 17/10, Paris18/10, Tilburg 19/10, Liege 21/10, Brussels 22/10, Brighton 24/10, Bristol 25/10, Manchester 26/10, Glasgow 28/10, Nottingham 30/10, London 31/10 and 1/11.
GALLERY: Gogol Bordello with Split Dogs at Estragon Club in Bologna, Italy (October 4, 2025)
