Arena Market: Ukraine

Live music hasn’t stopped in Ukraine despite the war continuing to rage in the country. In fact, live performances have never been so important, not only for morale but for a sense of unity and for the nation’s population to come together and process what they’re going through.

And while some artists are understandably hesitant about going there, they’re still coming. Acts such as London Elektricity and The Tiger Lillies have performed recently, and audiences are hungry for more.

“We are ready to welcome international artists,” says Vlad Yaremchuk, programmer of Atlas Festival – the country’s largest event – and partnership manager at humanitarian initiative Music Saves UA. “It is – considering the circumstances – safe enough; there is a demand, and we have all the infrastructure here to make it happen. Artists can go to Lviv if they feel scared, although I would say Kyiv and Lviv are equally safe. You choose your own level of risk, but it’s a very controlled and manageable risk.”

After more than two years of war, the country’s promoters are well-versed in creating safe events, with many venues having direct or close access to bomb shelters and a well- oiled process for getting people to safety if an air raid alert happens. Ukrainian acts perform regularly, festivals have been taking place, and concerts are commonplace. Yaremchuk’s 1,100-cap Atlas Club reopened in September, and there are many other venues continuing to operate.

“We are ready to welcome international artists”

The 10,000-cap Kyiv Sports Palace was a regular stop on tours before the war. In May, it hosted three sold-out shows from local artist Artem Pivovarov.

“Obviously, in these difficult times, people in Ukraine are in particular need of support,” Pivovarov told IQ. “There’s a special atmosphere at our concerts. The audience can let out their emotions, laugh and cry … Our new and unique show gave people an unforgettable experience and positive emotions, which is really needed now.”

Yaremchuk is keen to demonstrate the relative safety of shows in Ukraine and wants to encourage more international acts. So he’s organising a 2024 edition of Atlas Festival for 25,000 people a day on 12-14 July and hoping to raise not only awareness but 100m hryvnias.

“People have this picture that Ukraine is all ruins and all bombing. So even when you show them that Artem Pivovarov sold 30,000 tickets and played those shows, it’s such a huge contrast with whatever people imagine this place to be that this doesn’t register,” he says. “But people need concerts.

Music fosters unity, that feeling you’re all there to support each other. At concerts, you feel surrounded by people who are going through the same horrible experience of war as you, and it brings you together. When you are there and you’re all living this extreme reality and the artist is playing incredible music, you can’t find that anywhere else. Because the stakes are so high, life feels [like it’s] in high-definition; it’s so precious to share music, and it’s a key part of keeping up morale, not just among the population but the military, too, and so it’s a part of the resistance against the Russians.”