Kino is a Soviet rock band formed in Leningrad in 1981. The band was co-founded and headed by Viktor Tsoi, who wrote the music and lyrics for almost all of the band's songs, until his death in 1990. Over the course of eight years, Kino released over 90 songs spanning over seven studio albums, as well as releasing a few compilations and live albums. The band's music was also widely circulated in the form of bootleg recordings through the underground magnitizdat distribution scene. Viktor Tsoi died in a car accident in 1990. Shortly after his death, the band broke up after releasing their final album, consisting of songs that Tsoi and the group were working on in the months before his death.
Viktor Tsoi and Yuri Kasparyan at a concert in Leningrad, 1986.
The Tsoi Wall covered with messages from Kino fans.
Russian rock music originated in the Soviet Union in the 1960s based on the influence of Western rock music and bard songs, and was developed by both amateur bands and official VIA.
Nashestvie, one of the largest Russian rock festivals that attracts up to 200,000 fans annually
The "forefathers" of 70's Russian rock: Andrey Makarevich founded "Mashina Vremeni" in 1969...
...and Boris Grebenshchikov founded "Aquarium" in 1972
Post-punk band Kino was one of the most popular in the 1980s Soviet Union.