Король и Шут

Korol' i Shut (The King and the Jester, Russian: Король и Шут) were a Russian horror punk band from Saint Petersburg that took inspiration and costumes from tales and fables. In Russia this band has an iconic status. The band was formed in 1988 by school friends in Saint Petersburg around founder members Mikhail Gorshok Gorshenev (Михаил Горшок Горшенёв), Alexandr Balu Balunov (Александр Балу Балунов) and Alexandr Lieutenant Shchigoliev (Александр Поручик Щиголев). Singer Andrei Kniaz Kniazev (Андрей Князь Князев) joined the band in 1990 and guitarist Yakov Tsvirkunov (Яков Цвиркунов) in 1997. The band's name, which means The King and the Jester, was adopted in 1992, its previous name was Bureau (Контора). Korol' i Shut's lyrics are written by Kniazev and feature horror stories and folk tales about pirates, trolls, ghosts and vampires, as well as Slavic mythology. Many of their songs, despite their intimidating appearance and style, are actually humorous, sarcastic or ironic (dark humor). The band members wear Misfits-inspired horror make-up onstage.