The last day of September!
The last time I saw the American punk rock band Gogol Bordello was at the Toronto Urban Roots Festival (TURF) back in 2014.
After 12 years, I finally got to see them again this time for a full show at History Ottawa on September 30th, and it was also my first time at the venue.
It was nice to see how the old Chapters bookstore building was transformed into a concert venue.
At times, though, it almost felt like I was walking through an empty mall.
But it is what it is, and I’m hoping we get more great acts coming through History Ottawa in the future.
Ottawa was the final date of Gogol Bordello’s We Mean It, Man! fall tour, supporting their ninth studio album of the same name.
For the three songs I photographed, they opened with “Ignition” from We Mean It, Man!, followed by “I Would Never Wanna Be Young Again” and “Not A Crime” from their 2005 album Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike.
The majority of the set was a mix of songs from those two albums, giving longtime fans plenty to get excited about.
With all the high energy and excitement happening on the floor, I eventually had to make my way into the mosh pit during “Fire on Ice Floe” from 2022’s Solidarity and We Mean It, Man!.
Man, that was wild!
I had to be careful not to get hurt or fall, especially since the floor had become slippery from someone spilling their drinks. But that’s part of the chaos and excitement of being in a Gogol Bordello mosh pit. It was a wild and energetic show, and I’m glad I was there to experience it.
The second band of the night was That Handsome Devil, who brought an entertaining mix of rock, funk, jazz, jive, blues, surf, rhythm and blues, reggae, rockabilly, rap and psychedelic music.
There was a lot going on musically, but that’s exactly what made their set so much fun.
They were very entertaining and also a great band to photograph live.
Opening the night was Brooklyn-based act PONS, bringing their loud electro-dance rock to the stage.
The band performed material from their upcoming album Racecare, which is scheduled for release on November 5, 2026.
The lead singer kept the audience energized throughout the set, delivering plenty of F-bombs along the way and joking about how Canada shouldn’t become the 51st state — or whatever he was saying while making sure to mention that he loves Canada.
Overall, for my first time at History Ottawa, I had a really fun time at this show.
Gogol Bordello delivered the wild, energetic performance I was hoping for, while That Handsome Devil and PONS made it a great three-band bill.
After waiting 12 years to see Gogol Bordello again, it was definitely worth the wait.
Check out the gallery.
