KINO Band 2027 in Dubai

KINO Band brings the most famous name in Russian rock to Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Wednesday 6 January 2027, in a concert billed as the grand finale of the band’s world tour. Original members Yury Kasparyan, Alexander Titov and Igor Tikhomirov play live, while modern technology brings back the voice of Viktor Tsoi, the singer and songwriter who died in 1990 and whose songs still fill stadiums across Russia.

The story of KINO

KINO, which simply means “cinema” in Russian, was formed in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, in 1981. Viktor Tsoi led the band and wrote the music and lyrics for almost every song. The group grew out of the city’s underground scene and played at the famous Leningrad Rock Club, where Soviet rock bands could perform at a time when much of their music was officially frowned upon.

Their albums trace the band’s rise through the 1980s:

• 45 (1982), the debut
• Nachalnik Kamchatki (1984) and Noch (1986)
• Gruppa Krovi (Blood Type, 1988), the album that took them to the height of their popularity
• Zvezda po imeni Solntse (A Star Called the Sun, 1989)
• The untitled Black Album (1990), finished by the band after Tsoi’s death

Film made them national stars. Khochu Peremen (I Want Changes) closed the 1987 film Assa and became an anthem for a generation living through perestroika, and Tsoi’s lead role in the film Igla (The Needle) raised the band’s profile further. In August 1990, Tsoi was killed in a car crash near Tukums in Latvia, aged 28. The remaining members completed the Black Album in his memory and announced the end of the band soon afterwards.

A legend that never faded

More than three decades later, Tsoi remains a cult figure. Fans still leave messages on the Tsoi Wall on Arbat Street in Moscow, and the boiler room in Saint Petersburg where he once worked is a place of pilgrimage. Songs such as Gruppa Krovi, Kukushka and Zvezda po imeni Solntse are sung by people who were born long after he died.

The reunion and the tour

In 2019 the band announced a reunion built around Tsoi’s digitised voice. Concerts planned for 2020 were pushed back to 2021 by the pandemic, and since then the shows have become a phenomenon. The live album Kino in Sevkabel followed in 2021, then 12_22 in 2022, a 2024 remake of Eto ne lyubov and the 2025 album Molnii Indry.

On this tour, the band has sold out the largest stadiums across Russia before heading to North America for its first concerts there, with dates in cities including New York, Miami and San Francisco. Dubai closes the entire tour.

Who is on stage

• Yury Kasparyan, lead guitar, whose melodic lines are part of KINO’s signature sound
• Alexander Titov and Igor Tikhomirov, both bassists from the band’s classic era

Drummer Georgy Guryanov, another member of the classic line-up, died in 2013.

What to expect at Coca-Cola Arena

The concert pairs the band’s best-known songs with powerful live sound and a conceptual visual design, which the organisers describe as a musical canvas of an era of change, personal drama and growing up. Tsoi’s original vocals carry the songs, so they sound the way fans remember them, while the musicians who first recorded them play live around his voice. The show starts at 8pm, and the songs are in Russian.

Coca-Cola Arena opened in 2019 and is Dubai’s largest indoor arena, which makes it a natural fit for a band used to playing stadiums. With standing areas in front of the stage and seated tiers rising behind, you can choose between singing along in the crowd and watching the visuals from above.

Zones and age rules

The arena is split into seated tiers (Bronze L1, Silver L1, Gold and Diamond), standing areas (Regular Standing and Fanpit Standing), Cocktail Tables and the Elevate Deck. Tickets are sold by best availability.

• All standing areas, Cocktail Tables and the Elevate Deck are strictly 21+.
• Seated tiers have no age restriction, but under-16s must be with an adult aged 18 or over.
• Everyone over 12 months needs a valid ticket, and re-entry is not allowed once your ticket is scanned.

The QR code for your ticket appears in the app 48 hours before the show. The nearest Metro station is Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa on the Red Line, a few minutes’ walk away, or drive via Exit 47 on Sheikh Zayed Road towards Al Safa Street and follow signs for City Walk.

Who it suits

This is a night for anyone who grew up with KINO’s music in Russia and the former Soviet republics, and for younger fans who found Tsoi’s songs later. Families with teenagers should choose a seated tier, as the standing and table areas are 21+.

For more live music, see our concerts in Dubai guide, things to do in Dubai, things to do in January and what’s on.