Nikolai Komyagin
Band:Shortparis
Genres:Dark Wave
Born:01/01/1987
Died:02/19/2026
From: Novokuznetsk, Russia
Musician Speciality:Singer/Keyboard
Biography:
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- Alexander Galyanov — keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (2014—2022)[27]tparis is a Russian experimental music group formed in Saint Petersburg in 2012.HistoryNikolai Komyagin, Alexander Ionin, and Pavel Lesnikov met in their hometown, Novokuznetsk, and formed Shortparis in 2012 upon moving to Saint Petersburg. They were later joined by St. Petersburg natives Danila Kholodkov and Alexander Galyanov.[2]
In 2013, Shortparis released their debut album Docheri (Russian: «Дочери», lit. ’Daughters’), with songs in English and French.[3] In 2017, they released the album Paskha (Russian: «Пасха», lit. ’Easter’). In contrast to their previous album, all of the songs on Paskha are in Russian.[4] In 2019, Shortparis released their third album, Tak zakalyalas’ stal (Russian: «Так закалялась сталь», lit. ’Thus the Steel Was Tempered’).[5]
In September 2020, Shortparis released the single “KoKoKo / Struktury ne vykhodyat na ulitsy” (Russian: «КоКоКо / Cтруктуры Не Выходят На Улицы», lit. ’CluckCluckCluck (Structures Don’t Take To The Streets)’) and an accompanying music video. The title of the track refers to a piece of graffiti from the 1968 Paris riots.[6][7]
In January 2021, Shortparis contributed a track to the album Sokhrani moyu rech’ navsegda (Russian: «Сохрани мою речь навсегда», lit. ’Keep My Words Forever’), a compilation of songs based on Osip Mandelstam’s work, released in honor of the 130th anniversary of the poet’s birth.[8]
In June 2021, Shortparis released their fourth studio album, Yablonny sad (Russian: «Яблонный сад», lit. ’Apple Orchard’).[9]
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Shortparis released a music video protesting against war.[10]
The band’s frontman Nikolai Komyagin died in 2026.[11]
Live performances
Shortparis opened for The Kooks in 2015 and alt-J in 2017 at Saint Petersburg’s A2.[12][13] The band started gaining attention in English-language music publications for their performances at Haldern Pop Festival, MENT Festival,[14][15] OFF Festival,[16] Pop-Kultur Berlin,[17][18] and Station Narva Festival[19][20] in 2018. In April 2018, Shortparis performed alongside Kazuskoma, Spasibo, Glintshake, and Elektroforez in Minsk, Warsaw, Poznan, Berlin, and Kaliningrad as part of a tour showcasing Russian bands.[21] In May 2019, Shortparis undertook their first UK tour, including performances at Liverpool Sound City[22] and The Great Escape Festival.[23] In August 2019, they played at Brave! Factory Festival in Kyiv.[24]
Musical style
Shortparis performs songs in Russian, French, and English.[25] According to John Doran of The Quietus, Shortparis is following in Sergey Kuryokhin’s legacy of provocative performance art; Doran describes the group as “Ambitious, bombastic, incredibly pretentious, erotic, thrilling, impossible to pin down, vaguely deviant, fun to dance to and full of revolutionary potential”.[26]
Members
Current line-up
- Former members
- Alexander Galyanov — keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (2014—2022)[27]
- Alexander Galyanov — keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (2014—2022)[27]tparis is a Russian experimental music group formed in Saint Petersburg in 2012.HistoryNikolai Komyagin, Alexander Ionin, and Pavel Lesnikov met in their hometown, Novokuznetsk, and formed Shortparis in 2012 upon moving to Saint Petersburg. They were later joined by St. Petersburg natives Danila Kholodkov and Alexander Galyanov.[2]