* Disclaimer: The TV diary is a strictly subjective summary of the TV evening *
The turbo polka ska metal band Russkaja announced their breakup last Friday, citing Russia’s “raging war” against Ukraine as the reason. On Wikipedia it says logically already: “Russkaja was a band from Vienna that was founded in 2005.”
Plain black
But the late-night talk show “Welcome Austria” is still the TV home of the formation around singer Georgij Makazaria, as was already assured on the day of the dissolution. On Tuesday evening, the first “Welcome Austria” edition ran with the show band in a new guise. And this robe is made in plain black, without any hints of Russian folklore.
“What is the end of the world for the caterpillar is the day of birth for the butterfly,” said Makazaria in his traditionally loud greeting at the beginning of the show. He greeted the moderators, Dirk Stermann and Christoph Grissemann, “in endless freshness”.
Stermann introduced the seven musicians as “the former band Russkaja”. After 18 years, Makazaria declared his “heart project over,” Stermann explained to the audience. The reason was the “terrible Russian war against Ukraine”, the band no longer wanted to do “funny Russian folk music”, it “didn’t feel right anymore”.
But Stermann confirmed: “The band will stay with us as a show band!”
This triggered violent acclamations from the studio audience.
“No question,” said colleague Grissemann. And with familiar freshness he described the band as “Austria’s best musicians”.
How to proceed now?
Vocalist Makazaria said, “We already have some fun ideas…”
Grissemann wouldn’t be Grissemann if he hadn’t said: “You also have to get rid of the Russian accent.”
For Stermann it already sounded “Styrian”.
Grissemann ended the sad part and once again touted the band as: “The Band formerly known as Russkaja!”
No new name yet
The studio band has not yet found a new name, it was out before the show ORF to experience. And: “The band may have decided on a name by the next show – that’s still open.”
For the time being, the band would continue to play in its entirety on “Welcome Austria”, it is said.
The confirmed that the musical style and the song material used in the show would change ORF. But the form in which this happens is currently also “still open”.
“Bitter Aftertaste”
What was “funny satire in music” before the start of the war on February 24, 2022 is now only “tragic with a very bitter aftertaste,” the band wrote on Facebook last week. They no longer want to represent something “that in times like these is exclusively associated with war, death, crime and bloodshed.”
The band’s eighth and last studio album was released last Friday: “Turbo Polka Party”. The cover still bears the band name Russkaja.