B EAST Magazine website

June 11, 2009
Photographs by Vijai
Model: Maria Zhakarova

Kiev’s biweekly Top 10 listings magazine is actually quite a cool zine: A well-designed, edgy contrast to the mainstream Time Out and Afisha. Unlike other local listings mags, Top 10 is more aspirational, choosing often to cover the Venice Biennale or Ibiza than events happening closer to home, despite the fact that a vast majority of Kievans have never ventured beyond Turkey and Egypt. But the magazine, like a transplanted New Yorker for an emerging Kievan elite, sets it sights high and thus separates itself from its competitors, which choose instead to shine shit and hype the local scene instead. So far so good. Somewhat edgy fashion shoots and trend mag design have endeared the publication to us during our stay in Kiev.
However, the praise only makes sense within a local context. Compare Top 10 to the doyens of the trendy listings scene in Europe – Portugal’s Diff or Athen’s Ozon – and it comes across as wanna-be, and desperately unironic. It’s ‘I Love Kiev’ campaign is so so 80s, and except for the heart on the T-shirt being slighty bloodied, it might as well be a children’s hospital in Oregon feeling good about itself. And when the magazine writes about the West, its coverage verges on adulation. Where’s the Beasty vibe, the ‘Eat the West’ attitude that demonstrates local pride.
So, just to show them we’re onto their game, we tore up a recent copy of Top 10. Ok, we admit, we were also bored, not much else going on now that it’s 33 degrees outside. What better thing to do than sip champange in a cool studio and have fun being bad.

This just came in on the wires so thought I’d share it with B.East readers. Blondes are marching through Riga in short skirts this weekend to help dispel the country’s economic blues. Just proves us right when we predicted a year ago that in times of crisis skirts get shorter, and hair longer. When you can’t show off your new Dolce&Gabbana baby doll dress, you might as well turn back to mother nature. Where did you get your body from? I got it from my momma. I got it from my momma.
The Latvian Blond Parade comes on the heels of Kiev’s Femen organising a massive rave in the center of the city last weekend to protest Sexual Tourism. The irony is that even though the girls were protesting seedy sex travelers, they chose to dress in revealing outfits, invited DJ Hell from Munich’s steamy Gigolo (Yes, Gigolo) records down and chose to jump up and down on stage like it was 1999! What’s happening in East Europe? Well, as long as the blondes in the parade look like the ones who went wild at your Riga Beast party last year (see below) we’re not complaining.

Riga - Up to 2,000 blondes are expected to march through the streets of the Latvian capital Riga at the weekend, in a politically- incorrect celebration planned by the Latvian Blondes Association.

The so-called ‘Parade of Blondes’ will enforce a strict dress code for the day with all women marching in fetching red, pink and white outfits.

Ahead of the event, individuals and teams of up to 10 blondes have been registering at a dedicated website which includes a history of Barbie dolls, blonde jokes and information about a campaign to make UNESCO designate May 31 as ‘International Blondes Day.’

As well as the main parade, participants will compete in blonde golf and tennis tournaments, a fashion show and will attend various parties.

Prizes will also be awarded for best blonde policewoman, best blonde TV star and even best blonde journalist.

The mobilisation of blonde power also aims to raise money for Latvian children’s charities.

Ukrainian band Haydamaky have been blasting Gypsy- rock from festival stages across the East for years now. Their sound is funked out and punked up, fueled by the raw energy of the performers themselves.
The seven members exude stamina and style, as captured in a recent photo shoot by aclaimed Ukrainian photographer Dmitry Peretrutov, who threw the band into grooving outfits and pushed them out into a cornfield at dusk.
In February ’08 Haydamaky embarked on a tour encompassing Poland, Germany, Denmark, Brussels and Sweden to release their third album Kobzar, which picks up where the acclaimed record Ukraine Calling left off.
B EAST spoke to the band’s Henry Rollins-like frontman Oleksandr “Sasha” Jarmola.

Can you tell me a bit about the photo shoot – where was it? What was the idea behind it?

The photo shoot was done in a cornfield near Kiev. It was an idea of photographer, Dmitry Peretrutov. He is certainly one of the most creative men behind the Haydamaky story. The nickname of this photo session is “Welcome to Kukurudza” – Kukurudza being the Ukrainian word for popcorn.

Who is the girl in the photos? She’s not in the band, is she?

No, unfortunately she is not in the band. Her name is Oxana “Siania” Frankewych. She lives in Berlin and there she combines careers of an economist, DJ and photo model. She was born in Munich to a famous Ukrainian family. Famous because of their long history of their help and support for many Ukrainian dissident artists far back in the times of Soviet Union. Siania is also singing backing vocals on our new album Kobzar.

Where did you get the funky clothes? Some of those pants look awesome…

We did a bit of creative work on this. We always liked the styles of the Kingston reggae scene and funky styles like George Clinton from Parliament. We combined this with Ukrainian ethno fashions.

How is the rest of the world reacting to your style of hardcore eastern music?

Sure, the reaction is great. It is some new trendy style. It is hot, funky and positive. And there is a lot of work behind the music, and a lot of faith, and that comforts people. We are happy to present Ukrainian culture on a modern and progressive level. And we are happy to state that now you can hear a lot of good new bands from East Europe breaking through with their social messages on the ethno platform.

Are you concerned that the eastern gypsy rock style is being stolen by western-based bands (for example, Gogol Bordello and Beirut)?

You know that the musicians of Gogol Bordello are mostly eastern emigrants from Ukraine and Russia or have East European roots. So it’s no wonder that they produce an East European style. Supplied by a western approach and correct PR strategy.

What do the band members do when they are not performing? Where do you all live? How do you like to party?

You know we work so hard that there honestly almost no time for partying! It’s concerts, rehearsals, TV shooting, interviews, organizing work, all stuff to do. We really want to be successful! There is no other way to survive by music. If you ask what we dream to do once being free from work it’s again music. Of course not only. It’s doing sports (some of us have professional sport backgrounds), doing paintings, farming and travelling. What else? Making love and raising up children!

www.haydamaky.com
www.peretrutov.com

Story from Issue 10, which is on newstands across Europe. Check our Distribution section for more details.