Gogol Bordello

Eugene Hütz was a teenager in Ukraine when Chernobyl happened. His family was evacuated, then spent years as refugees across Poland, Hungary, Austria, and Italy before landing in New York. He started Gogol Bordello in 1999, naming it after Nikolai Gogol—the 19th-century Ukrainian writer who "smuggled" his culture into Russian society—and a brothel. The music does the same smuggling: Eastern European folk, Romani traditions, punk energy, funk grooves, all delivered with more joy than any band playing this loud should reasonably possess.

The new album We Mean It, Man! drops February 13, produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave, IDLES, Amyl & The Sniffers). Hütz calls it "the best Frankenstein we've done since 'Gypsy Punks.'" The single "Hater Liquidator" is a "bonanzatronic dance floor crusher," which is exactly the kind of phrase that makes sense once you've seen them live.

The Warfield on Valentine's Day is going to be a sweat-soaked party. Violins, accordions, trumpet, and a frontman who treats every show like it might be his last. If you've never seen Gogol Bordello live, this is the one. If you have, you already bought tickets.