Review: Gogol Bordello at O2 Academy Bristol - 25 October 2025
Posted on: 10 Nov 2025Gogol Bordello – O2 Academy Bristol, 25 October 2025
Yas yas yas yas — Gogol Bordello is more alive than ever. Deep in our hearts for all of us who were fans, but it comes up to the surface in a second. I missed it. For a long time, I’ve been more into experimental and neoclassical stuff — quiet, layered, a bit distant. But destiny got me tickets for Gogol Bordello, who I used to love back in my Mexico City years, when I was going to ska gigs all the time. Their music always felt very Latin to me, maybe not in sound but in spirit — the fever, the sweat, the working-class energy of dancing and shouting and forgetting everything for a while.
And this gig was exactly that. Not civilised at all, in the best way. It was sweaty, it was moshy, it was punky, it was Balkan, it was as I remember. The sound though — very good. Clean, strong, everything well balanced through proper speakers. But it didn’t lose the mess, the chaos, the fun.
My knee’s bad, so I couldn’t stay in the moshpit too long. I went up and watched from above — a happy wave of people moving left to right, up and down. The moshpit was inclusive and respectful, not violent at all. It feels like it’s evolved with time. That must come from the band.
Erica Mancini on accordion — amazing. Sergey Ryabtsev on violin — pure class, as always. A couple of new voices joined too, adding good energy to the mix, a talented and energetic couple of NY. Eugene’s guitar now feels more like a visual weapon, low in the mix but always there, I thought it was unplugged and I was dissapointed, but it came up in a cuople of the last songs and it made me happy.
Split Dogs opened — proper rock and roll, fearless, fun, great warm-up. FEMALE POWER!!! love it.
Reviewed by Pablo Jimenez-Moreno
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Bristol-based guitarist exploring sound, space, and architecture through improvisation and experimental practice. Blending strings, synthesizers, and trumpet to create ambient, drone-influenced soundscapes—brutalist in form. Holds a doctorate in architecture. For more info visit https://pablojm.bandcamp.com.
