They are edgy, rebellious and popular.
IC3PEAK is on stage in Ryazan for the final concert of their Russia tour.
The song "Sad bitch" is clearly an audience favorite here
It's an anthem against authority, elitism and conformism.
Songs like this one have made the authorities in Russia suspicious of IC3PEAK.
The band say they shut down more than half of their concerts on their recent Russia tour.
The musicians were searched and questioned several times.
“It felt completely surreal.
We sing a few songs and the secret services chase us through the whole city.
Yes, some of our songs do have a political message.
But the political stuff is such a small percentage of our work.
So you think to yourself: What would happen if we were actually a political group?
They wouldn't let us perform at all."
"I pour kerosene into my eyes.
The whole of Russia is watching me.
Let it all burn."
Lyrics and videos like this one are intentionally provocative.
Here the duo poses in front of the seat of the Russian government – and on the shoulders
of the riot police.
IC3PEAK isn't the only young group that has had problems with the authorities.
Last year, over forty concerts were cancelled.
It's a crackdown that has shaken the Russian music scene – but also created a huge sense
of solidarity.
At the end of 2018 dozens of musicians took to the stage in Moscow to protest against
the tough stance of the Kremlin.
"If these absurd things can happen to other musicians, they can easily happen to any of
us."
"Lately there seems to be an unspoken rule for musicians: If you so much as touch on
politics – you'll have problems."
"This situation would make any musician want to write about it – it politicizes people
who otherwise wouldn't be interested in political protest at all."
Vladimir Putin seems to have become aware of that tool - and is pushing for a change
in strategy.
The Russian president wants his administration to come up with new plans to support youth
culture by September.
"Rap and other modern music is based on three pillars: sex, drugs, and protest.
Our biggest concern is the drugs of course.
They clearly lead to a degradation of the entire society.
If this music is impossible to stop, then we have to lead and direct it properly."
However Putin tries to "lead and direct" - observers say the Kremlin will do all in its power to
ensure the discontent doesn't turn into a protest movement.
"What we've seen so far is an attempt by the Kremlin to label anything they don't understand
as nonexistent, useless and wrong.
But now the main thing for them is to reestablish communication with young people – to understand
what they want and how to deal with it."
In Ryasan, the police presence has led some parents to accompany their kids to the concert.
Most of the fans here say they identify with IC3PEAK's lyrics: they're often about a sense
of hopelessness.
“I can really relate to this music – I think it reflects my reality here.
I know exactly what they mean."
"The fact that the government is cracking down on this group doesn't solve the problems
they are singing about – instead it could lead to protests."
The band can clearly relate to the worries and realities of their young fans.
Many of them say they don't feel the Kremlin understands them anymore at all.
"The government has decided to “correct” youth culture, to somehow bend it back into
its old shape.
But the process can't be stopped anymore.
And we certainly won't censor ourselves."
"Now we want to be even harsher, more radical and interesting."
"You can't ban music!" the fans chant in between songs at the concert.
IS3PEAKs dark and sarcastic music has clearly touched a nerve with young Russians.
And their difficulties with the authorities have attracted a lot of publicity.
Now IC3PEAK has become one of the voices of a new, critical generation who are no longer
to remain silent about Russia's political realities.