"PTVP" stands for "Posledniye Tanki V Parizhe", which means "The last tanks in Paris". The band was started inVyborg - a city next to the border between Finnland and Russia. It doesn't really matter, who was in the band at thevery beginning, the people always change: As well as in their personalities, as well as in the band. The onlyunchanged member is Alexei "Leha" Nikonov - the vocalist and songwriter. The closeness to the finnish borderdefenetily influenced the style of PTVP: The promotional album, which was recorded in 1996, was named "Olkaa Hyva".Alexei Nikonov explains, that it's finnish for "Nice day", "Everything is fine". "It was pure noise-punk", saysAlexei Nikonov, "At that time I dreamed of playing that kind of music".
The album was recorded under pretty extreme conditions, which you can hear in the quality of the recording, butthis was THE record you could hear songs like "Glaza Mentov", "Pulyu Burzhuyu" and "Sobaki V Glazax" for the veryfirst time.
The band starts the recording for the first "big" album "Devstvennost" in 1998, losing their guitarist Benihaevbecause of his addiction to drugs. Leha Nikonov plays the guitar at that time himself.
The whole album was recorded in 5-6 hours by people who didn't care about the music of PTVP. The album seemed to besome kind of "nervous", but the fans didn't give a fuck about that, they liked it. Some people even think that it isthe best PTVP album.
The following year the band starts writing on a new album "PORNOmaniya", with a new guitarist. "PORNOmaniya" isrealesed on a split-tape with the band "Naprasnaya Yunost", and in 2001 PTVP record the album "Geksagen" in AndreiTropillo's studio. The critics say that it is the best PTVP album. When the lyrics overfill the song, Leha juststarts to read them, like in the track nr. 4 "Irrealizm". Anyways, you can not call it Rap. But sometimes there'sjust too much of this music, so in "2001" Leha just starts reading some of his poems.
The songs by Nikonov are exactly about THE fucking socialism, why people become punks: The greedy eyes of the drugdealers around the corner, the cops (you automatically turn around and go somewhere else when you see them), and theparanoia you see on the TV every day.
Actually, the band becomes popular in St.-Petersburg with their album "Geksagen". Always more people show up attheir club-concerts, they get invited to all kind of festivals ("Okna otkroi!!!", 2003 etc.). In the time of theirexistance the band records 4(!!!) Live-tapes, and by the end of 2003 PTVP starts writing on a new album, they planto call it "Burya v Stakane Travi".
"The new album isn't going to be like Geksagen, it's going to be more lyrical", says Leha. The members of the bandchange again - now Dmitriy Chirkow ("Arttester", "Uroki Pozeluev") plays the guitar.
The new album is realesed November 11 in 2004, the name is "2084". The next year at the "FUZZ" music awards the bandgets the award for the best album of the year.
In 2005 PTVP release the limited album "2085", and in the summer 2005 they go to France and play some shows inParis.
April 2006: "2085" is released on the label "Kap-Kan".
Right now the band is working on a new album.
