(Large jpg - 76K)
By Sergey Chernov
Some have compared local band S.P.O.R.T. to America';s B-52';s.
S.P.O.R.T. guitarist Sergei Karpov detests such comparisons --; indeed he detests all such comparisons. ";All such references are rather superficial,"; he says.
";People see two girls singing and one boy providing back-up vocals and think that we are Russia';s B-52';s.";
According to Karpov, the band';s members have gone through a variety of different stages in the course of each member';s musical development. At one point three of them even played with the ";alternative-rock"; group Fruit and Pistol.
Although he himself is something of a fan of the American pop quartet, he feels other influences have been even greater.
But the most important motivation and inspiration for the band they find within themselves and their own experiences.
";There are bands who make it their goal to play like somebody else,"; he says. ";We have no such goal but simply play what we like. It';s just natural.";
S.P.O.R.T., which apart from Karpov includes female vocalists Anna Stolyarova and Natalya Kozlovskaya, bass player Sergei Khomyakov and drummer Alexander Tikhomolov, made their stage debut in April 1993 at the TaMtAm Club.
After a few early gigs the group was accepted even by those arrogant young Russians who would not listen on principle to anything unless it was sung in English.
In the course of the ensuing two years they have become a familiar name on the local club scene, topping the bills of such commercially successful events as November';s all-night Studebaker Party. The band';s lyrics are all written in Russian. They aim more at conveying moods and emotions than at intellectually coherent statements.
";I think we play music for relaxation --; of the people who come to the concert as well for our own relaxation,"; says Karpov.
Karpov does not much care for the juxtaposition between rock and pop music, which still seems to exist in the local scene. ";Most of the local bands who claim to play ";real rock"; are in fact influenced by The Cure,"; he says. He admits that he listens mostly to Western music, but he singled out local bands Dva Samolyota and Auktsion as his favorites on the Petersburg scene.
Although the latter have been around for almost a decade they have managed to find the niche of their own, remaining untraditional and difficult to label, he says.
Given the band';s carefree style, it could be surprising to find out that Karpov prefers playing at the radical TaMtAm Club. ";This is the place where you do not feel hurt to play for free,"; he says.
The band is well respected locally, though they are yet to play outside of St Petersburg or release a full album.
Their song, ";Tango,"; is getting plenty of airplay on local radio and it is included on the recently-released cassette, "Soundcrack --; A St Petersburg Indie and Pop compilation.
The band is planning to perform an expanded set on Friday at the Wild Side, including a couple of new songs.
Just remember when you see two girls and a guy, bouncing around and wailing away under the Wild Side';s colored light show, this is not Russia';s answer to the B-52';s or anyone else.
This is just good, relaxing, Russian S.P.O.R.T.