A party for the end of the world at Rock City, Nottingham, folk-punk pioneers Gogol Bordello are back on the road to remind us that if we are going to go out, we might as well go out in style.
Gogol Bordello
Rock City, Nottingham – 30 October 2025
Words And Photography: Matt Pratt
The multinational mob, who are the figureheads of their niche genre, have been indulging in their wanderlust for nearly 25 years, lending some of the most distinctive music to every corner of the globe.
The band floated their way into mainstream consciousness with their bizarre hit Start Wearing Purple, a rare song of romantic turmoil from frontman Eugene Hütz. The stand-out single has created and maintained a reputation that still has crowds flocking to sizable venues, but possibly even more so now, thanks to a fortunate fling with DC Comics. 
James Gunn’s reboot of the DC Universe kicked off in 2024 with the animated TV show, Creature Commandos. Gunn has long been known for his diligently curated soundtracks, but few would have predicted the prominent inclusion of Gogol Bordello in his first foray into the world of DC, which even featured an animated cameo of the band, opening their music to a whole new demographic.
It remains to be seen whether Gunn intends to bring the compelling musicians to live action, but their wild, untamed personalities would be a perfect fit for his tumultuous world of Superheroes.
An open and full bottle of wine slams upon the stage as Hütz and the accompanying chaos arrives. Those lucky enough to avoid the wave of red wine need to keep their wits sharp as the vocalist almost immediately slips, kicking a crate off the stage and launching it into the crowd.
Providing you make it out of the first song unscathed, the mood is suitably set for an unruly evening.
Gogol Bordello, as a live performance, are an entirely different prospect from their recorded work. While they may have released the necessary back catalogue of music, this is a band whose entire ethos is balanced around the entertainment that they bring to your doorstep, and it can be felt with every rendition.
The melody of one of their most favoured songs, Wonderlust King, plays out with an unfamiliar tempo. Distorting your experience from the triumphant rendition we know, to this contemplative, melancholic adaptation only goes to destabilise as it jumps up in pace at the chorus to the song we are familiar with, amplifying the energy that we expected in the first place.
This manipulation of the senses could only be possible in a live entertainment setting, slapping you around the face in an adrenalin rush and demonstrating why Gogol Bordello are such an essential watch.
When you consider punk, your mind likely wanders to the genre of furious defiance that popularised the mosh pit. Gogol Bordello have harnessed an entirely different feeling for the genre. There is no angst at their show. The songs and conversations undoubtedly feature the same ideology, but it never incites a release of violence.
Instead, the feeling is that of defiant celebration, not directly fighting the evil of the world but choosing to be undeterred by it. This show does not feel like a typical gig. It is a family party, and everyone is invited.
The lights cut to purple, and everyone knows what is coming. You would think Sergey Ryabtsev had already enjoyed his moment in the spotlight with a stunning violin solo just moments earlier. But no moment could be more iconic than that which was to follow.
“The professor” yells, with a roaring response from the crowd, “Start wearing purple for me NOW!” met with a groundshaking wave of pogoing and utter, uncontrollable joy.
We enter the encore and Hütz returns to the stage alone, using a pair of boxes as a stool. As he works up to a rendition of Alcohol, the frontman gives us an ironically sobering thought.
He reminds us all of the fragile situation we live in and how we may well be approaching the end, not just of the show but globally too. It sounds dark, but somehow it isn’t. It is a poignant reminder to enjoy every nanosecond we have, just as we are tonight. 
A frantic final few songs with all the musicians on stage darting left, right, forward, backwards, and even spilling into the crowd, the show is finally over, and the band takes their leave.
With the passage of time, it is easy to see punk as something that has transcended its roots and possibly even diluted from the intent of its inception.
Calling newcomers “posers” is childish. Punk is too big for gatekeeping, but it is undeniable that it has become harder to discern what has been stylistically inspired by punk and what is truly championing the ideals of the movement.
Gogol Bordello do not chase an aesthetic. They do not try to replicate their punk forefathers. There is no pretentiousness to what they do.
The only mission of Gogol Bordello is to create joy, and at a time where misery feels the norm, I cannot think of a more punk thing to do.
Split Dogs
Regardless of its foundation in individuality and alternativity, punk definitely has a “look”, and as Split Dogs walk out onto stage, you already know exactly the sort of boisterous affair you are in for.
Their lack of conformity is as sonic as it is visual, with the band tossing the cookie-cutter pop personality straight in the bin to be their true, uncensored selves through bursting intensity and searing severity.
The temperature of the room matches the barbarity of the grimacing vocalist and riffing guitarist, no doubt boiled even further by the impressive mosh pit which had opened up early in the night.
Closing their set, guitarist Mil Martinez offers a thought that perfectly encapsulates the authentic and passionate energy of this bright example of modern punk.
He asks us to come see them at the merch stand, but not because they want your money. They just want your love.
Puzzled Panther
Travelling all the way from New York, our opening act is far less familiar to UK audiences than the two other acts on the bill this evening, but they are more than complementary to the offering.
The authoritative punk/grunge fusion spliced with a sensual groove are the perfect lubrication for the audience, fresh out of their day jobs. They take the warm-up responsibility in stride with their bags of character, confidence and performing ability.
Puzzled Panther convert swathes of unfamiliar crowd and promote plenty of hustle and bustle within the crowd before the end of their short set, surely enough to justify a short trip back over for a show of their own in the not-too-distant future.
