Mashina Vremeni Concert 2027 in Dubai

The Mashina Vremeni concert in Dubai brings the legendary Russian rock band to The New Covent Garden Theatre at Mall of the Emirates on Thursday 14 January 2027. Led by Andrei Makarevich, Mashina Vremeni (Машина времени, Russian for Time Machine) will play a greatest-hits programme drawn from more than five decades of songs, in a theatre setting where seating is very limited. Doors open at 7pm, and the ticket page lists a 7:30pm start.

Mashina Vremeni: Five Decades of Russian Rock

Mashina Vremeni formed in Moscow in 1969 and is regarded as one of the most important groups in Russian-language music. One account traces it back to Makarevich’s school group, The Kids, which had evolved into the band by 1969. Makarevich founded Mashina Vremeni with Sergey Kawagoe, and in its earliest days it played English-language songs under the English name Time Machines. The group soon switched to Russian and built a following through the 1970s, even though, in the late Brezhnev years, it could not get official bookings as a professional band. Its first full-length album circulated in samizdat form, copied and passed between fans, in 1978.

In 1979 Makarevich signed the band with Rosconcert, bringing it into the official state music system, and in 1980 Mashina Vremeni won the main prize at the Tbilisi rock festival. The 1980s are often described as the band’s golden era, when its songs became part of everyday life for a generation. Much later, the band recorded an album at Abbey Road Studios in London, released in 2007 under the English translation of its own name, Time Machine, and marked its 40th anniversary with a tour in 2010.

The Line-Up on Stage in Dubai

The Dubai concert features the band’s current line-up:

• Andrei Makarevich: vocals, guitar, keyboards
• Alexander Kutikov: vocals, bass guitar
• Valery Efremov: drums
• Igor Khomich: guitar
• Alexander Levochkin: keyboards, backing vocals
• Kirill Ipatov: percussion

The line-up has shifted over the decades. Evgeny Margulis, often named as a core member alongside Makarevich and Kutikov, rejoined in 1990 together with keyboardist Pyotr Podgorodetsky and left again in 2012.

Makarevich, who founded the group more than half a century ago, still fronts it on vocals, guitar and keyboards. Kutikov, a bassist and producer, is one of the longest-serving members alongside Makarevich, which gives the band’s classic songs the voices that fans associate with them. The programme celebrates the group’s greatest songs from across its career, performed live, so expect a night of sing-along moments from a crowd that knows every lyric.

A Theatre Concert at Mall of the Emirates

Rather than an arena, this show takes place at The New Covent Garden Theatre on Level 2 of Mall of the Emirates in Al Barsha. The venue is part of Majid Al Futtaim’s large-scale transformation of the mall and was billed as bringing a slice of London’s theatreland to Dubai. Its main auditorium seats around 600 people, with tiered stalls, circle and box seating, and the complex also includes rehearsal and dance studios and a black box theatre.

For a band with a history this long, a room of that size is unusual. You can see the musicians clearly and hear every word, which suits a set built on lyrics that many in the audience grew up with. It also explains why the listing stresses that seats are very limited.

Who Should Go

The concert is aimed at Russian-speaking music fans in the UAE. Long-time followers who grew up with Mashina Vremeni’s songs will get the classics played by Makarevich and Kutikov themselves, while families can share the music across generations in a seated theatre. Anyone curious about the roots of Russian rock will hear one of its founding bands at close quarters. The band performs Russian-language rock, though the listing does not state the performance language outright.

Getting to The New Covent Garden Theatre

The closest parking is on Level 2, Orange Zone, near A5 and A6. By metro, take the Red Line to Mall of the Emirates station (R32) and follow the signs into the mall. By taxi, ask for Mall of the Emirates Entrance A, then take the lift or escalator up to Level 2. Doors open at 7pm, which gives time to find the theatre and settle in before the band comes on.

The listing notes that tickets can be exchanged with another fan if your plans change. This is also not the band’s first Dubai booking: Platinumlist has previously sold tickets for a Mashina Vremeni Best Songs concert in the city, so a loyal local audience already knows the drill.

More Concerts and Nights Out in January

Mashina Vremeni’s show is one of several Russian-language nights in Dubai this January, including Leonid Agutin at Dubai Opera on 6 January. Browse our full list of concerts in Dubai, see what else is on in things to do in January, or explore more ideas in our guide to things to do in Dubai.