By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Every once in awhile, you hear or come across something that makes you say what the… I mean, wow. This summer’s WTF moment has been the odd Quebecois duo Angine de Poitrine (check them out if you dare!). On the other hand, there’s the Leningrad Cowboys. Not as current mind you, but jaw-droppingly delightful, nonetheless.
That is, if you consider a bizarre Finnish rock band performing “Sweet Home Alabama” in Sweden with a Russian army choir. You can’t make this stuff up. Or turn away.
The band’s history is a bit long and complicated, but briefly it was formed as a joke in 1986 (they’ve been called “the funniest band in the world”) during the waning of Russian power, and later evolved into packed concerts, films, and a near comeback tour in 2023 that was cancelled when Russia inconveniently invaded Ukraine.
The LC Cowboys, as they are also known, specialize in covers like “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “Stairway to Heaven” (after this video, I recommend “Happy Together”). And if even you don’t like the song (what?) or are impartial to the Cowboys’ bizarre pompadours, seeing Red Army soldiers rockin’ out to the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic is worth the price of admission alone.
Lyrics
What’s the point?
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