The steamy room powerfully shakes from feet viciously galumphing on the beer-soaked floor. Like a moth to a flame, the sweaty audience, gathered in a clustered fury, plummets their way to the stage, which exhibits an eclectic, colorful assembly led by a lanky, bare-chested, grunting pirate.

He has a long, twisty mustache similar to that of a cartoon villain, the crazy eyes of a mad scientist and the fashion sense of a Las Vegas magic act. You have just entered a circus, and he is the master of ceremonies.

This relentless tornado of rock meets gypsy flare is Gogol Bordello, the eight-piece cabaret show that fuses rock, hip-hop and reggae beats with world rhythms. A Cirque Du Soleil for punk rockers, Gogol Bordello unleashed a night of unforgiving chaos upon the enthusiastic crowd last Thursday at Slim’s in San Francisco. With a solid two-hour set, this New York group’s spectacular act gives the circus competition for “the best show on Earth.”

As the charismatic front man of Bordello, Eugene Hutz is a non-stop, glitzy train-wreck from which no eyes can divert. The Ukrainian-born, 33-year-old formed Bordello in 1999 in New York City, embracing his gypsy heritage with his love for punk rock. Half way through their two-month tour for their latest album, “Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike,” Hutz leans against the brick wall in the back of Slim’s, sipping a concoction of red wine and cognac.

“We’re a nomadic traveling tribe,” he says of his band that consists of Russians, a Chinese-Scot and one American. “The power of Gogol Bordello lays in its lineup. There’s people who like music, those who play music, and those who are music.”

Hutz isn’t shy to admit that he believes Gogol Bordello’s culturally and politically challenging music is much needed in America, where good ol’ rock n’ roll has been replaced by “boy bands.”

“You can brainwash people, but at the end of the day they’re still hungry,” he says.

And Bordello serves a plateful. If the incorporation of a violin and accordion wasn’t enough to put a little polka in the punk, what about some sexy, washboard-scratching acrobats to rev things up?

Making their debut in Bordello’s third song “Never Young,” these mischievous vixens crashed the stage with flips and tumbles, falling into the arms of Hutz while belting out piercing screams.

Much like “The Cat in the Hat’s” Thing One and Thing Two, these strange creatures were cute yet creepy, and excelled the bewildering chaos of Bordello.

For the grand finale, anyone could have anticipated Hutz jumping in and surfing the crowd, but no one could have predicted it would be kneeling down on a bass drum while being paraded around the floor by a valiant group of ten, able-bodied men. It was showmanship truly at its best.

Gogol Bordello will be touring Europe through November. For more news, visit www.gogolbordello.comwww.