Live review: Otava Yo at Rich Mix (2)

By Ellie Panton 

“Who here speaks Russian?” Asked a band member to the London crowd. A chorus of excited shouts came in response. Otava Yo are a Russian folk band, so there was a language barrier for a few audience members. However, I was not completely lost, as every song had a spoken prelude in English, allowing us to appreciate the band’s quirky humour and even learn a bit about Russian folk culture.

 One of the best things about seeing Otava Yo live was the quality of verbal, audio and visual storytelling. Certain songs had creative lighting and pre-recorded sound effects. As it happens, blue lighting, sleigh bells and the sound of howling wind can make the idea of playing a Christmas carol in March seem sensible. The band’s use of unique instrumentation was also very entertaining. Violins played quasi guitar, two pipes being played simultaneously by one person, and an iPhone being used as a bass drone (to the amusement of the other band members).

My favourite song by far was about pancakes. As we were told in the prelude, pancakes are beloved in Slavic culture, as they represent the sun: warm and circular. And as both Russia and England are in such desperate need of sunshine, the band decided to sing the song to try and summon the sun. About halfway through, the music starts to slow and slide down in pitch, coming to a halt as one of the violinists clutches his stomach and groans. Another band member asks the audience what they should do, until they come to this conclusion: he should eat just one more. And the music starts back up again.

 The skilled, boisterous band seemed to attract one of the best audiences I’ve been in. Not only were most of us dancing and participating, but the band was able to flawlessly coordinate us into a three-part clapping rhythm. But the show’s biggest strength had to be the passionate performance of infectiously catchy music that was still being hummed on the tube back home.

Photo by Merlyn Driver.