is a popular Russian rock band, formed in Saint Petersburg in 1994. Since then, they have remained one of the most popular rock bands in Russia and the former Soviet Union. The band's name is derived from "spleen" (in the sense of "depression"), and the "ea" spelling in English is a pun on the spelling of the Beatles. It was borrowed from a short poem by Sasha Cherny, which the band set to music.
History
Lead singer Alexander Vasilyev and bass guitarist Alexander Morozov decided to form a band together while working in "Buff" theatre as stage workers. Later, keyboardist Nikolay Rostovsky and other musicians joined them. Despite the risk of losing their jobs, they began recording their first album Pyl'naja byl' (Dusty Fact) in one of the theatre's studios at night. Their growing popularity was made evident by Boris Grebenshchikov's and Konstantin Kinchev's support. In 1996, the band began to play concerts in Moscow and other cities.
Despite rumours that the group were on the verge of breaking up in 2004, Splean continues to perform throughout Russia and the world. The band frequently experiments and evolves, so the current version of Splean is quite different from its original version.
In 1998, Splean opened for The Rolling Stones at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, during the Bridges to Babylon Tour. Splean headlined the Krylya rock festival in 2005 and Nashestvie in 2015.
The band won several Nashe Radio "Chart Dozen" awards, including Best Song and Chart Leader for "Orkestr" ("Оrchestra") in 2015 and Best Album for Obman Zrenija (Optical Illusion) in 2013.
