from DVD times....

Having gained official authorisation from the Kremlin to travel outside the country, the Leningrad Cowboys, accompanied by the massed ranks of the Alexandrov Red Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble, perform an outdoor concert for a large enthusiastic audience in Helsinki in June 1993. Who would have thought this obscure Russian folk band would be so popular in Finland...?

Total Balalaika Show is a concert film of the band’s performance that night, The Leningrad Cowboys replete with their quiffs, winkle-pickers and dressed in Red Army uniforms, perform a bizarre eclectic selection of 13 pop classics, rock anthems, and traditional arrangements, but not too much rock ‘n’ roll. No doubt, it’s something of a you-had-to-be-there occasion, but it comes across surprisingly well on film. The distinct styles of the Leningrad Cowboys and the Red Army Chorus complement each other amazing well on songs as varied as ‘Finlandia’, ‘Happy Together’, ‘Delilah’, ‘Kalinka’, an oompah, accordion version of ZZ Top’s ‘Give Me All Your Loving’, a rendition of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ to show that the band’s trip to America was not in vain, and a riff-heavy metal version of ‘Those Were The Days’.

Completely indefinable, Total Balalaika Show transcends camp, since there is simply no way for this unlikely combination of performers do such material “straight”, and musically, it is actually quite strong. The performers rise fully to the occasion in a big way, filling the stage with a huge choir, Cossack dancers, at least four guitarists, a brass section, a balalaika section (inevitably) and a drum kit in the shape of a tractor. Musically proficient, this is just a big, entertaining show, a celebration of a new openness between Russia and the West, and a fine concert film to boot.