THE OLIGARCHS is one of the most noticeable underground Russian band based in London, UK. The band plays a hedonistic cosmopolitan style of music with hip hop beats, groovy bass, bright melodies, crunchy guitars, ironic samples and strong Russian flavour, hanging around Manu Chao's anarchistic backyard, after having the party with Happy Mondays and visiting Stereo MC's and Fun Lovin' Criminals in the neighbourhoods. Same time they sing with their trademark russian accent about how it feels to be russian, while their country is selling out gas and oil.
The band started out in 2005 in Camden, London by 3 former Russian citizens, who prefer not to reveal their real names or even faces for some reasons. Their first track “Made In USSR” grabbed a huge attention through myspace and became a sort of an unofficial anthem (it contains the samples of the real Russian National anthem, by the way) for all the Russian communities in both UK and US, and has been played on hundreds of Russian parties all over the world. The precision combination of irony and sincerity in the lyrics of “Made In USSR” left deep impression, sounded very honestly and became a reason for the band’s popularity inside the English-speaking Russian immigration audience. The next track – sarcastic “Model Girlfriend” showed off their deep knowing of some hidden specifics of the model business along with the personal experience in relationship with the models. “Out Of Here” combined traditional Russian street “bard” guitar technique with quasi-hip hop beats and, this time, absolutely serious lyrics about escaping the suburban life. Every new song they made since the beginning was different and brilliantly unexpected. Thanks to tabloids, paid attention for the lyrics but not for the meaning of it, THE OLIGARCHS were treated as a political act, than as the sarcastic indie heroes, as the entertainers, the Russian musical export, the singing criminals, the money makers, the Courchevel residents, the fakes, the celebrities and every next track ruined the previous image of this band. It’s rumored that now THE OLIGARCHS are about to record a football song for Chelsea FC, their favorite UK football club, after they’ve been asked to do so by the club owner himself, a famous Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich which isn’t that untrue at all.
After series of publications in Russian press in 2007, The Oligarchs were finally accepted in their home country and played a few homecoming gigs in Moscow together with their soul mates - international Russian stars t.A.T.u.
The Oligarchs are about to release their first CD this year. And the constantly growing number of pre-orders guys have in their inbox is a good reason to call it successful before it has even been finished.