‘You’re not even a real bird, you’re a geezer dressed up’

michael brooke reminds me of the existence of the leningrad cowboys. i first encountered them on a new year’s eve many years ago, when, after staggering back from the market square (favoured location for drinking and shouting at the dean of ripon), i switched on the tv to see a group of finns, dressed like the early beatles and quiffed like mutant elvises, performing with the red army choir. i later dismissed the whole event as a drink-induced hallicuination, but it seems not. michael mentions their cover of ‘happy together’, which is absolutely great: it takes the original, which sounds a bit like donovan performing ‘forever changes’, and makes it sound like… well, like the red army choir performing ‘forever changes’. they also perform the national anthem of the soviet uni...