VTOROI KA (KGZ) in Berlin. Final tour

Vtoroi Ka are a genre-hopping band from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Formed in 2017 by old school friends Ilya and Sultan, they reached underground success with their first two studio albums but it was their slick Baxter Dury-esque take on post-punk that sent them viral. After the release of singles from their third album, Piggy Ride (2024), their following exploded to more than 200.000 monthly listeners on Spotify in less than a year. Key to their pan-national appeal is combining musical talent with an ability to portray their irreverent personalities on camera. The sharp-humoured music videos and the tongue-in-cheek promos they do on social media are equally as sensational as their endlessly inventive music. Vtoroi Ka’s commitment to the Kyrgyzstani capital, where they were raised, is key here, too. In contrast to a lot of budding production duos vying for space at the forefront of the music business, they aren’t trying to pose in the major metropoles, but film their music videos in mountainous Bishkek and do an artful job of being their authentic selves and portraying their vibrant corner of the world with seductive charm.