Picnic
Frontman Edmund Shklyarskiy in 2013
Background information
Origin	Leningrad, Soviet Union
Genres	Art rock progressive rock psychedelic rock new wave post-punk space rock gothic rock folk rock
Years active	1978 (1978)–present
Members	Edmund Shklyarskiy Leonid Kirnos Marat Korchemny Stanislav Shklyarskiy
Past members	See band members
Website	piknik.info

Picnic ( Russian: Пикник), or Piknik, is a Russian rock band known for its unique style, a mixture of art rock, progressive rock and original Russian rock. The band was formed in 1978 in Leningrad, ^[1] though the members consider the band's official starting point to be Edmund Shklyarsky's arrival, in 1981, or the year the first album was recorded—1982. ^[2]

Some of their early songs are in Polish, due to Shklyarsky's paternal heritage. ^{[3] [4]}

In 2016, the band was barred from playing in Ukraine due to their performance in Crimea after it was annexed by Russia. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Music critic Andrei Burlaka notes the group as a cult phenomenon in Russian rock music. ^[8]

Picnic were set to perform at the Crocus City Hall on 22 March 2024 before a terrorist attack took place there, killing at least 144 people. ^{[9] [10]} On the afternoon of 24 March, it became known that Ekaterina Kushner, the assistant to the director of the group, had died in the attack. ^[11]

Band members

Current

• Edmund Shklyarskiy – vocals, guitars, keyboards (1981–present) ^{[12] [13] [14]}
• Leonid Kirnos – drums, percussion (1982–1984, 1987–present) ^[12]
• Marat Korchemny – backing vocals, bass (2003–present) ^[15]
• Stanislav Shklyarskiy – keyboards (2007–present) ^{[16] [17]}

Past

• Alexei Dobychin – vocals (1978–1983) ^[18]
• Evgeny Voloshchuk – bass guitar (1978–1984, 1985) ^[19]
• Sergey Omelnichenko – guitar, vocals (1978–1981) ^[1]
• Nikolai Mikhailov – flute, saxophone (1978–1981) ^[20]
• Alexander Matskov – drums (1978) ^[14]
• Alexander Kondrashkin – drums (1978–1979, 1980) ^[21]
• Yuri Danilov – flute, clarinet (1979–1981) ^[1]
• Alexander Yevseev – drums (1979) ^[14]
• Nikolai Korzinin – drums (1979–1980) ^[22]
• Pyotr Troshchenkov – drums (1980–1981) ^[1]
• Pavel Kondratenko – keyboards (1980) ^[23]
• Alexei Malkov – keyboards (1980) ^[14]
• Mikhail Panaev – vocals (1980–1981) ^[14]
• Alexander Savelyev – guitar (1981–1990) ^[24]
• Sharifzhan Abdulov – drums (1981) ^[24]
• Ali Bakhtiyarov – drums (1981–1983) ^[14]
• Viktor Morozov – drums (1982) ^[14]
• Vadim Lebanidze – keyboards (1983) ^[14]
• Sergei Shepel – guitar (1983) ^[14]
• Vladimir Sizov – bass (1984, 1989–1990) ^[14]
• Viktor Sergeev – keyboards (1984) ^[24]
• Sergei Voronin – keyboards (1984, 1986–2006) ^[25]
• Alexander Fedorov – drums (1984) ^[14]
• Viktor Evseev – bass guitar, backing vocals (1985–1988, 1990–1996), keyboards (2007) ^[26]
• Yuri Klyuchantsev – keyboards, saxophone, percussion (1986–1988, 1990–1996) ^[1]
• Vadim Ponomaryov – drums (1986–1987) ^[1]
• Andrey Merchansky – guitar (1990–1994) ^{[27] [28]}
• Alexander Rokin – bass guitar, backing vocals (1996–1999) ^[29]
• Svyatoslav Obraztsov – bass guitar, backing vocals (1999–2003) ^[30]

Discography

• Dym (1982) (Дым) ^[31]
• Tanetz Volka (1984) (Танец волка) ^[31]
• Iyeroglif (1986) (Иероглиф)
• Rodom Niotkuda (1988) (Родом ниоткуда)
• Kharakiri (1991) (Харакири) ^[32]
• Nemnogo Ognya (1994) (Немного огня)
• Vampirskiye Pesni (1995) (Вампирские песни)
• Zhen-Shen (1996) (Жень-Шень) ^[24]
• Steklo (1997) (Стекло) ^[33]
• Pit Electrichestvo (1998) (Пить электричество)
• The Best (compilation, 1998)
• Egiptyanin (2001) (Египтянин) ^[34]
• Fioletovo-Cherny (compilation, 2001) (Фиолетово-чёрный)
• Nastoyashchiye Dni 1982–1992 (compilation, 2002) (Настоящие дни)
• Smutniye Dni 1992–2002 (compilation, 2002) (Смутные дни)
• Chuzhoy (2002) (Чужой)
• Govorit i Pokazyvayet (2003) (Говорит и показывает)
• Tribute (Piknik songs performed by other artists, 2003) (Трибьют) ^[35]
• Ten Vampira (with Vadim Samoylov) (2004) (Тень вампира) ^[36]
• Korolevstvo Krivykh (2005) (Королевство кривых) ^[37]
• Novoyegipetskiye Pesni (remix album, 2005) (Новоегипетские песни)
• Mrakobesiye i Dzhazz (2007) (Мракобесие и джаз) ^[38]
• Zhelezniye Mantry (2008) (Железные мантры)
• Teatr Absurda (2010) (Театр абсурда) ^[39]
• Tri Sudby (2011) (Три судьбы)
• Pevets Dekadansa (2012) (Певец декаданса) ^[40]
• Chuzhestranets (2014) (Чужестранец) ^[41]
• Iskri i Kankan (2017) (Искры и канкан) ^{[42] [43]}
• V rukax velikana (2019) (В руках великана) ^[44]
• Veselyi i zloi (2022) (Весёлый и злой) ^[45]

References

External links

• Official website (Russian)
• Edmund Shklyarskiy's official website (Russian)
• English lyrics
• Song translations