Russian Winter Festival, 13th Jan 2007

Trafalgar Square went properly Russian on Saturday, with lots of traditional entertainment, dancing Cossacks, vodka, Baltika, Russian pop (their Eurovision entry was just as bad as ours) and some excellent music from a young woman called Pelageya, with a band of the same name. She had the most incredible vocal range, and when a few chords started sounding familiar we realised they were playing Great Gig in the Sky by Pink Floyd, which brought a big smile to my face. It's a tricky one to do well,. but it was well within her capabilities. If the UK market ever opens its doors to Russian-speaking acts, she'll be one of the first through the door.