"We opened up the heavens like canned goods, and each of us was infected with the rock 'n' roll virus."
On March 7, 1981, a legendary rock club opened in Leningrad—a venue that allowed the Soviet authorities at least some control over local musicians for almost a decade. On its opening day, the bands Rossiyane, Piknik, Mify, and Zerkalo performed on stage.
The rock club was opened at the House of Amateur Art, allowing bureaucrats to communicate with musicians through official channels and the KGB to keep an eye on them. In return, the musicians had equipment, rehearsal spaces, and the opportunity to perform openly, although they were forced to submit their songs for "litovka" (literally, "Lithuanian translation"). Lyrics were reviewed for political content and obscene language, signed and stamped, and only then were songs allowed to be performed on stage.
Since 1983, annual festivals have been held at 13 Rubinstein Street, which have become the main showcases for "unofficial" talent. For example, they launched "Aquarium," "Kino," "Zoopark," and "Alisa."
Despite the lack of royalties, the control, and the need to combine music with work as stokers or janitors, it was a time of unique professional solidarity for the club's members. But by the early 1990s, the era of "controlled rock" had come to an end. With the advent of glasnost and the abolition of censorship, the club's ideological function had exhausted itself: bands were now able to release records on Melodiya, travel abroad, and earn money legally from their music.
By the early 90s, the history of the Leningrad Rock Club had come to an end. Rock was no longer an underground fraternity, and the legendary address at 13 Rubinstein Street would forever remain in history as the birthplace of musical freedom for an entire generation.
However, it was the Leningrad Rock Club that launched a chain of similar clubs throughout the USSR. Many of them—like the Leningrad Club—are now considered legendary, while others were known only within their own circles. Together with #notradio_NotMoscow, we recall just a few of them.
