The rock group Ruky Vverkh sold out two concerts recently in Vladivostok. Head-banging band touts Aussie eats By Janina de Guzman Follow me, says Mike Murray, striding out the Hotel Hyundai lobby, a kangaroo hide whip in hand. I saw three men hang a dog and beat it to death with a stool. Murray cracks the whip on the pavement. It sounds like an armed raid on a 7-Eleven.
Pedestrians stop, and police come running, only to find a tiny Australian man letting off steam.
The ruble s plummet is stressing Murray. But Murray takes comfort in what he gave for free. From the Seamen s Palace of Culture to the waterfront plaza to the bluesy confines of the BSB club, the band triggered a head-banging craze. I wanted to bring four of five days of happiness, says Murray, to focus on positive instead of negative things. It s early afternoon, and the band is gathering for coffee.