Legendary musical genius Boris Grebenshikov, considered the godfather of Russian rock and the country’s answer to David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and Marc Bolan, is coming to Ljubljana for the first time. Accompanied by his cult band Aquarium, the revered poet and musician will present their latest album alongside songs that have long become modern classics of Russian music and culture.
FOR FANS OF: Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Shortparis …
For over half a century, Boris Grebenshikov (BG) has stood as a towering figure of cultural resistance and artistic evolution. Since founding Aquarium in Leningrad in 1972, he has navigated the path from underground Soviet rebel to a globally revered poet and multi-instrumentalist, becoming one of the few artists to break through in the West, with even MTV featuring his videos in the late 1980s. Often cited as the “Russian Bob Dylan” or “David Bowie of the East,” BG has spent his career blending the raw energy of rock and roll with the intricate textures of folk, reggae, blues, and classical Indian music.
Throughout the decades, Aquarium has functioned less like a static band and more like an open ecosystem, a “shifting constellation” of virtuoso musicians. Their discography is a vast map of the human experience, moving from the lo-fi post-punk of the 1980s to the sophisticated, world-music-infused arrangements of their more recent releases.
In the current global climate, BG, now living in exile in London and Paris, remains a steadfast beacon of humanist values and artistic integrity. His lyrics, rich with Buddhist philosophy, surrealist imagery, and sharp social observation, transcend linguistic barriers through their sheer emotional resonance. Having worked with icons like Brian Eno and recorded in the world’s most prestigious studios, BG brings to the Kino Šiška a living, evolving slice of European rock history.
Organisation: Auris Media Records
