Until their breakup in 2008, the band Leningrad around Russian punk legend Sergei "Shnur" Shnurov was probably one of the best the Russian music scene had to offer. The honest, provocative lyrics, which were completely disrespectful to the government and shamelessly enriched with very clear swearing and street jargon, spoke straight from the heart of the youth. Especially at their live concerts the energy of Leningrad, whose exact size was never really defined, could fully unfold.
The documentary "Leningrad - The Man Who Sings" shows several concert excerpts and lets Shnurov, former band members, fans but also critics have their say. If you like the music style of Leningrad, this is a real good-mood documentary, which incidentally offers such great wisdom as: "No matter where you kiss an artist, you always hit the ass". Besides that, the film is also an interesting testimony of Russian society, the rejection of the regime especially by the youth and the underground culture of the country.
Although there are some repetitions of content especially towards the end, which seem a bit tiring and Shnurov's final statement is permeated by clear overconfidence, but overall "Leningrad - The Man Who Sings" is a very entertaining music documentary, which can be more than recommended to lovers of Russian punk!
