Pornofilmy bridged all barriers and enveloped SCALA in a punk rock storm
Russian band Pornofilmy (Порнофильмы), originally from Dubna, brought their powerful positive energy to London recently, playing to a packed house at SCALA, primarily filled with their fellow countrymen and women. The band self-exiled following the invasion of Ukraine (as did nearly a million other Russians in the first year) though their attempted cancellation at the hands of the government started long before that. As with many proper punk bands, an overwhelming message of positivity suffuses their songs, including support for their straight-edge, vegetarian lifestyle, mutual aid for humanity, and inclusion of all members of society. While they cannot currently promote these ideals in their own country, plenty of fans showed up to engage in the positivity on this Sunday evening in London.
With no opener on the bill, Pornofilmy had no intention of keeping their crowd waiting long, launching their sonic assault on the night just a bit over an hour after doors opened. Fans packed the venue literally to the rafters well ahead of the show’s start, clearly intent on not missing a minute of the band’s exuberant performance. Aware that the crowd consisted almost entirely of Russian speakers, the entire set was sung and spoken in Russian, with most songs immediately turning into singalongs as the happy fans got to bond with their heroes.
The band fully engaged the crowd throughout the night, especially on vocalist/lyricist Vladimir Kotlyarov’s forays out into the pit, leading the energetic yet respectful moshers on several occasions. Other bits such as a balloon drop and handing out heart placards achieved an earnestness not usually associated with such things, keeping the fans smiling and laughing while they kept dancing and sweating. Demonstrating the band’s spirit of inclusion, about midway through the set Vladimir invited the women in the crowd on stage where one-by-one they were able to stage dive and crowd surf with the assurance of the safety of the environment.
Pornofilmy put on a show for the ages, proving that punk rock can still be both political and peaceful, inciteful yet inclusive, anti-government but pro-people. For non-Russian speakers in the crowd (ListenSD included) it simply didn’t matter that the words were foreign because the crowd’s genuine reaction to them made it clear what each message was. Of course, knowing the band’s history helped lend insight into what they were trying to get across but it was the shared spirit of the evening (along with the banner in Russian) that made the overall message clear: The Universe Gives Miracles.
