Pohoda 97: Auktyon
Phantasmagoric band Auktyon from Saint Petersburg appeared at the first edition of Pohoda by a lucky chance and their gig was an amazing experience. After city stadium, they played incredible shows at Pod Sokolicami area (1999, 2001) and now they will be debuting at the airport. The band created such a unique style that the age doesn’t affect them. If by any chance it does, it’s only in a positive way: they are as crazy, bizarre and exceptionally creative as before. Their mix of avant-garde, jazz, traditional music and absurd drama still works like clockwork. If you would like to find out why they became a discovery twenty years back, go see their gig as part of the Pohoda 97 project.
15. February 2017
Auktyon was founded in 1978 by students at the Polytechnic Institute of Leningrad. The band was particularly popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but became less active in the late 1990s when Fyodorov began to produce records for another Russian legend: Leningrad. Their albums were also released in the States where they toured in 2006 and 2008 and caught the attention of media such as Pop Matters, San Francisco Chronicle or Boston Globe. According to Pop Matters, “In an age where every other jazz band seems to be revisiting the standards or recreating tunes of past masters, Auktyon deliberately tries to create something fresh and new.” This principal attribute of their music is present in their work after almost forty years of existence on the scene.
Their concerts provide a mix of punk, reggae, klezmer, blues and traditional Russian music in untraditional ways. What looks like a pure improvisation at times, is, in fact, an interpretation of the principal idea with firm foundations. This is one of the reasons why they still manage to offer top quality music extravaganza and have their fans’ attention. Maybe some kids of visitors who saw the band’s first show at our festival will come see Auktyon concert at Pohoda 2017 as well… we’re sure that Auktyon are going to be one of the important music discoveries for these kids as well.