Leningrad Cowboys

The group I went to see last night:
"The Leningrad Cowboys is a Finnish rock and roll band famous for its humorous songs and concerts featuring the Soviet Red Army Choir.
Currently, the band has eleven Cowboys and two Leningrad Ladies. The songs, all somewhat influenced by polka and progressive rock, and performed in English, have themes such as 'vodka', 'tractors', 'rockets', and 'Genghis Khan', as well as folkloric Russian songs, rock and roll ballads and covers from bands as diverse as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, all with lots of humour."
They all wear huge pointy elf shoes and have their hair fashioned into long cones, like unicorn horns. They wear sunglasses and ridiculous coordinated outfits.
Below is a clip of them performing 'Sweet Home Alabama,' which was a crowd-pleaser last night. Except this clip features the Soviet Red Army Choir: "The Red Army Choir (Choir Aleksandrov) is a performing ensemble that served as the official army choir of the former Soviet Union's Red Army. The choir consists of a male choir, an orchestra, and a dance ensemble. The songs they perform range from Russian folk tunes to Church hymns, operatic arias and popular music. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Red Army Choir has continued performing, entertaining audiences both inside and outside Russia."

This one can't be embedded, but check it out for an even better example of the use of the choir.
Also this, as a good idea of their total and complete insanity (not to mention their ginormous fan base):

Last night, they were in fine form in vaguely Spanish costumes. Their two blond 'Leningrad Ladies' were hilarious and danced up a storm. They switched costumes several times: from tight-fitting traditional dresses to tight black leather corsets and skirts to sparkly bodysuits to skeleton bodysuits. They had their hair in smaller unicorn horns.
When they played 'Viva Las Vegas,' one band member came out in a white sparkly Elvis suit to perform the song. The same guy came out in swimtrunks, water wings and a snorkel mask, with a watergun he used on the audience, when they played a vaguely Dick Dale-ish surf song.
At one point, one of the band members came on in a huge, segmented velour lobster outfit complete with multiple dangling arms and claws sticking up behind him. They introduced him as the rock lobster. Curiously they did not then play 'Rock Lobster' but something else entirely.
The crowd was a mix of old and young, with some people having done their hair in the cowboy fashion, and many more wearing cowboy T-shirts. I might or might not have been the youngest person there. It was really good fun though. Utterly ridiculous! I wonder what it takes to become a Leningrad Lady. Possible future career?
Pictures to come.
Bis bald,
D.