Kochka
Stereo, Glasgow
21/01/2011

Playing for a night organized by Scottish music blog Aye Tunes, Glasgow four-piece Kochka (‘Cat’ in Czech) stand out from the local musical crowd. Describing themselves as “Electro Cabaret”, “Bolshevik” and “Trotskyite”, Kochka draw heavily on Eastern European influences. This mixture of punk and polka introduced by the opening fun fair anthem, ‘Carousel’, sets a Gypsy tone. But unlike closest comparison, Gogol Bordello, they don’t possess fiddles or brass instruments, preferring to conjure horror show screams and ghost train vibes with a synthesizer.

Drummer Sheryll plays like she should be at the front of the stage, clearly absorbed, she raises her arm to call the rest of the band to attention, anchoring the music with strong rhythms. And at one point singer Markk takes his megaphone for a walk in the crowd, adding to the Weimar cabaret vibes. Kochka are less a pop group, more a musical circus act, not constrained by indie conventions, so there’s plenty of room for them to expand this side of their performance and really stand out.

Cinematic reference points abound in the band’s music from Wim Wenders and Emir Kusturica to that touchstone of European glamour, Marlene Dietrich. Indeed ‘Marlena’ provides a title for one of their more down tempo songs. 

A Tetris version of circus music lightens the mood between bursts of Klesmer storm, in a set this relentless and banter free, however, the band might benefit from a bit more differentiation between songs. Added to this Kochka make close to no announcements and take no pauses for applause; the audience are at first a little confused by this, then won over, and finally fully engaged and awed.

Closer, ‘Black Cat’, gives full reign to the act’s heavier tendencies for a storming finale and makes the quartet’s forthcoming album an intriguing prospect indeed.

Lucy Brouwer