Former Migos rapper Offset has become arguably the highest-profile act to announce a gig in Russia since the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

The 33-year-old American revealed to his 25 million Instagram followers that he is set to play the 11,000-cap MTS Live Hall on 18 April, with support from Russian hip-hop artist Toxi$. Tickets are priced between 5,200 and 45,000 rubles (€54-465).

Offset’s announcement comes days after it was reported that the White House is drawing up a plan to potentially give sanctions relief to Russia.

Russia has largely been boycotted by foreign acts in the wake of the February 2022 invasion, while touring giants including Live Nation and Oak View Group pledged not to do business with the country amid widespread outrage over its actions. Other music companies such as Universal Music Group – parent firm of Offset’s record label Motown Records – also suspended operations in the country.

However, IQ reported last summer that more than 100 international DJs and artists had quietly returned to playing concerts in Russia.

Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts plan to launch their upcoming European tour with a free concert in Ukraine

Russian festivals identified as having Western acts on their lineups included Outline, Gamma, Mutabor, Afisha Picnic and Gazgolder Club, while two dance music events allegedly stopped announcing international headliner names until the day of the event to try and prevent them from being cancelled due to negative publicity.

American rapper DaBaby also played a show at VK Stadium in Moscow last week.

Meanwhile, Canadian-American rocker Neil Young said this week that he plans to launch his 2025 European Love Earth Tour with a free concert in Ukraine.

“Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts will open the upcoming Love Earth Tour of Europe in UKRAINE with a free concert for all,” the 79-year-old wrote on his Neil Young Archives (NYA) website. “We are currently in talks and will make the announcement of details here at NYA. Keep on Rockin’ in the FREE WORLD.”

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Slovakia’s biggest festival Pohoda has announced details of its next Concert for Ukraine.

The event has been staged annually since the war began in 2022, with Pohoda organiser Michal Kaščák confirming its latest edition as a symbolic gesture on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

The concert will take place on Sunday 16 March at the Main Square in Bratislava, with confirmed performances by Para, Slobodná Európa, RozpoR, Ukrainian singer Mila Medvedovska with Katka Koščová and pianist Daniel Špiner, as well as Peter Lipa and the Lúčnica Choir.

“One of the roles of art is to respond to social events”

“One of the roles of art is to respond to social events,” says Kaščák. “It is important for the artistic community to stand for the values of humanism and to express support for Ukraine’s heroic fight for both its own and our freedom. It is essential to show that Slovakia is home to people with their hearts in the right place.

“We believe that the majority of people in Slovakia support our neighbours’ struggle for freedom and humanist values. The Concert for Ukraine is an artistic response to the unprecedented violence of the Russian regime; it is an expression of solidarity and unity with the invaded country and those affected by the conflict. We greatly appreciate the participation of every artist and hope to see many people gather at the square.”

The Concert for Ukraine will begin at 7pm, and entry is free for the public. For those unable to attend the event, a livestream will be broadcast on Pohoda’s Facebook page. The full programme and further details will be announced shortly.

Pohoda Festival 2025 is scheduled to return from 10-12 July, with acts including Massive Attack, Queens of the Stone Age and Iggy Pop.

Music Export Ukraine’s Alona Dmukhovska recently discussed the triumphs and tribulations of Ukraine’s industry in an interview with IQ.

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Finland’s largest indoor arena is finally set to reopen after three years after Helsinki-based real estate company Trevian Kasvu acquired a controlling stake in the venue.

The Finnish capital’s former Hartwall Arena (cap. 15,500) has been mothballed since 2022 due to sanctions on its previous owners relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Beverage giant Hartwall ended its 25-year association with the building – since renamed Helsinki Halli – due to its Russian ownership, while scheduled shows by acts such as Kiss, The Cure, Eric Clapton and Queen + Adam Lambert were relocated.

“The negotiations lasted more than two years and proceeded in a spirit of cooperation,” says Reima Södervall, CEO of Trevian Asset Management. “Despite the challenging circumstances, all parties shared the common goal of bringing Helsinki Arena back into operation.”

Previously, the arena was owned by Arena Events Oy (AEO), a company co-founded by oligarchs Gennady Timchenko and Roman Rotenberg.

“Reopening the arena will have a tremendous impact on major events and cultural life”

“With this transaction, we can finally reopen the arena for events,” says Helsinki mayor Juhana Vartiainen. “The three-year closure has significantly limited our ability to host sports events, concerts, and corporate events in Helsinki. Reopening the arena will have a tremendous impact on major events and cultural life, as well as on the economy and attractiveness of Helsinki and the entire country. Additionally, it will contribute to the development of the local service sector.”

The acquisition was contingent upon a change in EU sanctions legislation and required regulatory approvals from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the National Enforcement Authority of Finland. An amendment to EU sanctions legislation enabling the transaction was passed in December 2024, with final approvals received this month.

The purchase price will remain with Finnish authorities for the duration of the EU sanctions.

Trevian is also exploring other locations in Finland for multi-purpose arena projects.

Elsewhere, Finnish project management contractor SRV was recently selected as partner to develop the Garden Helsinki scheme, which includes a 19,000-cap multipurpose arena. SRV is also behind a new 9,800-capacity multi-purpose arena scheduled to be built in the town of Hyvinkää by the end of 2026, as well as a separate complex in the southwestern city of Turku.

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Three years on from the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s live music scene is flourishing albeit under gruelling circumstances.

Amid curfews, bomb threats, a lack of infrastructure, and a talent drain, the country’s live music industry has been defiant in its continued staging of concerts and festivals.

Last year, major festivals such as Atlas Festival and Faine Misto returned, domestic artists delivered record-breaking concerts, and more international artists visited the country.

Throughout the war, live music has become an increasingly important tool for unity, mental health support and fundraising in Ukraine. Here, Alona Dmukhovska, head of Music Export Ukraine, talks to IQ about the triumphs and tribulations of the war-torn market…

IQ: Last year, Artem Pyvovarov delivered an impressive three sold-out shows at Kyiv Sports Palace. Can you tell us about more recent successes in the domestic live scene?
AD: In this past year, we witnessed a surprising trend: Ukrainian artists selling out arenas in record time. One standout example is Klavdia Petrivna, an online sensation and one of the most-streamed artists in recent years. She performed two sold-out shows last August at the country’s largest arena. At the time, Klavdia was like Ukraine’s equivalent of Gorillaz — a mysterious online project with an enigmatic persona that kept her identity hidden. The promise to finally reveal her face at these concerts only fueled the hype. According to Forbes, 16,000 tickets were sold across the two nights, with prices ranging from €12 to €170.

Other artists also took to this iconic venue, with KOZAK SYSTEM celebrating their 10th anniversary and Max Barskih hosting a Christmas special. But the biggest success was definitely by the rock music. Okean Elzy band, celebrating their 30th anniversary, sold out five (!) consecutive concerts at Kyiv’s Palace of Sports (10,000 capacity each), a historic achievement for Ukrainian rock. Of course, not everything went as planned. Security measures were understandably strict, and on one of the nights, Russia launched another attack. When the air raid sirens sounded, the entire crowd had to be evacuated to a nearby underground subway station. Remarkably, the artists joined the audience there and continued the concert under those conditions.

To be honest, I doubt that a foreign act coming to play here now would achieve the same level of success. These Ukrainian artists deeply resonate with the audience — they are at the centre of attention, close to the people, and many of their songs have become anthems for the events we’re living through. It’s a unique connection that’s hard to replicate if you’re not “part of the gang.” These success stories undoubtedly give Ukrainian artists the confidence to take on larger venues and dream even bigger.

“Ukrainian promoters are eager and determined to host international acts”

Tiger Lillies were one of the first international acts to tour Ukraine after the war began. Have many other overseas acts followed in their footsteps?
This year, Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation) presented a special orchestral program at the major music festival Atlas United. The Japanese psychedelic rock duo Heavenphetamine played in Kyiv, while the Bendik Hofseth Quartet (NO-PL-UA) performed at JazzBez 2024 Festial in the regional city of Ternopil. Belgium’s Ivan Paduart, both solo and with the Patrick Deltenre Quartet, has become a frequent visitor, performing not only in the capital but also in smaller cities like Rivne and Uman. Additionally, Nemo (Eurovision sensation from Switzerland) is planning to visit Kyiv this March.

Kyiv, a hub for electronic music, continues to attract DJs and experimental artists from around the world. In 2024 alone, cult venues like Closer hosted 60 international artists, along with other formations like K41 and Labotatorium drawing thousands of fans for their legendary raves. Meanwhile, Lviv offers a unique appeal. Jazz musicians are drawn to the city’s rich jazz history and intimate venues like Dzyga, while partygoers flock to events organized by Chard Zoratly, Lviv’s Night Ambassador and the visionary behind People Place Bar and Zorepad Festival, which regularly features international acts. While the country’s current economic situation makes competing with other markets difficult, Ukrainian promoters are eager and determined to host international acts.

“Interactive shelter maps are now available for promoters, security protocols are in place and events are adjusted to curfews with earlier start times”

How viable is touring in Ukraine, both for domestic and international acts?
Touring in central and western Ukraine is possible, particularly where the security situation is more stable. However, it’s often more practical for smaller or acoustic acts due to logistical and backline challenges. Proper venues with adequate technical support remain concentrated in major cities, while smaller cities often have outdated infrastructure, making it less economically viable to bring everything needed. Lviv also has practical advantages for touring artists. Located in western Ukraine, it’s much safer and only 325 km from Kraków, Poland, which provides easy access via the nearest major airport.

What are the main challenges with staging live music now and how is the industry navigating them?
Curfews, bomb threats and a lack of infrastructure have undoubtedly had a significant negative impact on the industry. However, Ukrainians have learned to adapt: interactive shelter maps are now available for promoters, security protocols are in place, events are adjusted to curfews with earlier start times, and promotion strategies align with the current news and societal mood. Still, the most critical challenge is the loss of people. Every day, individuals from production companies, security teams, technical crews, and even artists are being mobilised. As of 2025, the majority of male artists and performers we’ve worked with over the years are now in the Army, no longer pursuing their artistic careers but instead serving in communications, logistics, or combat roles. Others could be called up at any moment. This makes it clear: to safeguard the future of our live music industry, we urgently need the world’s support to protect Ukraine effectively. Infrastructure can be rebuilt, but if we lose our talent, the live music industry may not recover.

“Infrastructure can be rebuilt, but if we lose our talent, the live music industry may not recover”

In what capacity are festivals taking place during the war?
Events across electronic, jazz, and classical scenes are taking place regularly, typically drawing audiences ranging from a few hundred to a couple of thousand attendees. The largest festival outside Kyiv was Faine Misto in Lviv, which brought together 20,000 visitors over three days. Known for its focus on hard and heavy music, the festival visually and thematically appeals to fans of events like Wacken Open Air. However, it’s also highly family-friendly, featuring a diverse lineup that includes pop and rap acts on the main stage. The chosen venue, Fest Republic, is a sprawling cultural hub specifically designed for such events. It offers comprehensive security measures, including underground shelters that can accommodate thousands of people, ensuring both safety and comfort for attendees.

What are some of the main goals for Music Export Ukraine in 2025?
With travel restrictions still affecting many, we’ve focused on educational and networking activities within Ukraine. Our goal is to strengthen the foundation for growth from within, while preserving talent and fostering mutual support and collaboration. Still, whenever possible, we ensure a Ukrainian presence at every event abroad — be it a showcase, festival, research initiative, or project. The past few years have been particularly challenging for our organisation as well due to our unique structure. Unlike many export offices, we operate without government support and have relied heavily on project-based funding. To continue our work, we’re exploring ways to make our efforts more sustainable, aiming to build a dynamic and effective organisation. This year, we’re actively seeking long-term partners to support us in capacity building and the professionalisation of Ukraine’s music industry.

It’s almost three years since the war began, do you have a message for the international live music business?
First: talk to your government to support Ukraine’s protection opportunity as much as possible. It will keep you and me much safer in this world. Secondly, let’s attend some events in Ukraine together – I will show you around. Both Atlas Festival in Kyiv and Faine Misto in Lviv are planning to go ahead this summer, their efforts and great Ukrainian music in a variety of states are worth enjoying and supporting!

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Some of the top agents in the international live music business have revealed the emerging market they’re most excited about in 2025.

In the new year straw poll conducted by IQ, four different territories emerged, with Africa topping the list.

Africa
Africa’s potential for growth is perhaps best signalled by the number of live entertainment giants that expanded in the market in the past 12 months.

Last summer, Ticketmaster enhanced its presence in Africa by acquiring its leading ticketing platform Quicket, with the firm’s president Mark Yovich declaring “a new era of unparalleled growth for African entertainment”.

Meanwhile, parent company Live Nation announced two major venue projects in the territory including South Africa’s largest dedicated live entertainment space, The Dome (cap. 10,500), which is set to open in Johannesburg this month and a new 12,000-cap arena, opening in Lagos, Nigeria, in late 2025 with the help of Oak View Group.

These venues will fill critical gaps in their respective markets – where infrastructure has been sorely lacking – making touring a more viable prospect.

“I think the new arena in Lagos is a game changer that will result in more opportunities throughout the continent,” WME’s Tony Goldring tells IQ. “I’m most excited about the potential for artists to tour Africa.”

One Fiinix Live’s Jon Ollier is equally excited about the long-term development of Africa’s live music market.

“It is my belief that this market will really mature over the next 10 years and with such a huge population and emerging middle class the opportunities could be endless,” he tells IQ. “The influence that this market has on global recorded music and culture is already profound, so think of the impact it could have on live music!”

UTA’s Jules de Lattre echoes these thoughts, adding: “We are seeing significant recorded music growth fuelled by a rise in paid streaming subscribers. There is huge potential for growth in the region which should in turn impact the development of live infrastructures in major Sub-Saharan countries. I’m excited about all developments in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

“I think the new arena in Lagos is a game changer that will result in more opportunities throughout the continent”

India
India has successfully staked its claim as a global entertainment hub in the past 12 months, enticing a growing number of international stars and festival brands to the country.

Thanks to growing access to the internet and rapidly increasing demand for large-scale events, India’s meteoric growth looks set to continue.

“A few years ago there were hardly any international artists playing shows there…” says WME’s Josh Javor. “Within 12 months you now have Lollapalooza festival, Bandland festival, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Bryan Adams, Cigarettes After Sex and Dua Lipa all with successful shows.”

This year, Coldplay are set to play their biggest-ever shows at the 100,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad while Ed Sheeran will embark on his biggest-ever run in India – underscoring the country’s thirst for A-list artists.

“The record-breaking shows by Coldplay and the development of festival properties like Lollapalooza India, and the growth of the domestic music scene, are a few of the results of the continued investment and development of the live music infrastructure and music industry,” UTA’s Carlos Abreu tells IQ. “I feel that India is a market which we’re going to see growing tremendously in 2025 and beyond.”

“I hope Ukraine will be an emerging market again, that would excite me most if it happened”

Ukraine
“I hope Ukraine will be an emerging market again, that would excite me most if it happened,” Wasserman Music’s Alex Hardee tells IQ.

Amid curfews, bomb threats and a lack of infrastructure due to Russia’s ongoing invasion, Ukraine’s music industry has been defiant in adapting to the unprecedented circumstances.

In August 2023, Atlas programmer Vladyslav Yaremchuk told IQ: “Concerts are happening everywhere, even in frontline cities in shelters, even in trenches.”

The following year, Atlas festival took place for the first time since the Russian invasion in Kyiv’s Blockbuster Mall, with the underground car park to be used as a shelter in the event of an air siren.

On a larger scale, local pop artist Artem Pivovarov performed three sold-out shows at Kyiv Sports Palace, drawing 10,000 attendees each night.

Music Export Ukraine’s Dartsya Tarkovska called his most recent run “a great success story to note in these wild times”.

But while Ukraine rebuilds its domestic business, execs such as YOUROPE’s Christof Huber have encouraged the international live music industry not to forget about the ongoing war.

Central Asia
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, live music executives from the former country have migrated to neighbouring countries leading to an increase in live music activities in Central Asia.

Solo’s Charly Beedell-Tuck tells IQ she’s particularly excited about the growth in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

“Music trends are changing there due to the rapidly growing younger population in these countries (unlike most of Central Europe),” says Tuck.

“Increased migration to these countries is also changing the music patterns in these territories and making it a really exciting place to look at servicing with more shows and live music.”

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The City of Helsinki is taking legal action as it steps up its efforts to expropriate Finland’s largest arena from its Russian owners.

Helsinki Halli (cap. 15,500) is owned by Arena Events Oy (AEO) – a company co-founded by oligarchs Gennady Timchenko and Roman Rotenberg – and has been shuttered since the end of February 2022 due to sanctions relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Making it available for use again is very important for the fields of culture and sports, as well as for major entertainment and business events,” reads a press release from the Finnish capital.

After being repeatedly frustrated in its attempts to facilitate a voluntary sale of the venue, the city is now preparing an application for an expropriation permit, with the application expected to be submitted in November and December.

Finland’s central government will then rule on whether or not to grant the request. However, the city warns the process involves several phases and could be protracted.

“It is difficult to predict its duration and outcome due to possibility of appeals,” continues the authority. “Even if the city is granted the right to pre-possession, it will take at least a year for the city to assume control over the arena and potentially start operations. If there are appeals, the expropriation process could assumedly take several years.”

“Due to payment difficulties, the company that owns the arena has drifted into a situation that also threatens to compromise the building’s condition”

Describing the move as a “last resort”, it adds that the application will be waived if use of the arena can be “secured in another fashion”.

Formerly known as Hartwall Arena, the venue currently owes €212,000 in unpaid rent according to YLE, while its electricity and heating have been cut off, leading to concerns it will fall into disrepair.

“On 30 October, the City of Helsinki submitted an application for a summons to the Helsinki District Court regarding unpaid rent on the Ilmala arena’s leased land,” adds the city. “Due to payment difficulties, the company that owns the arena has drifted into a situation that also threatens to compromise the building’s condition.

“The Helsinki City Board’s decision proposal entitles the city manager to approve, if necessary, the reasonable and appropriate expense to the city that is necessary to secure the technical condition of the arena and to demand payment of the resulting arrears from the party originally responsible for them.”

It was revealed last month that a new 9,800-capacity multi-purpose arena is slated to open in the Finnish town of Hyvinkää, 30 miles from Helsinki, by the end of 2026.

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The stalemate over the future of Finland’s Russian-owned Helsinki Halli has continued after the proposed sale of the arena fell through.

The former Hartwall Arena (cap. 15,500), which is owned by Arena Events Oy (AEO) – a company co-founded by oligarchs Gennady Timchenko and Roman Rotenberg – has been mothballed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 due to sanctions against Timchenko and the Rotenberg family.

Rotenberg and Timchenko own a combined 44% of the arena’s holding company, Helsinki Halli Oy, but their combined voting power in the firm accounts for 93.9%.

The City of Helsinki signalled its intention to acquire the venue earlier this year, with a deal reportedly reached and recently approved by the Finnish authorities – only for the Russian side to pull out at the eleventh hour due to the prospect of having the proceeds frozen.

“The shares of the Helsinki Hall that belong to the listed persons are frozen at the moment,” a spokesperson for the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs tells The Insider. “Freezing of the shares does not prevent the hall from being used for its purpose, but it is rather the image related to sanctions and Russia’s illegal war of aggression in Ukraine that has led to the situation in which the hall is not used.

The Finnish government reportedly set aside €200,000 in its budget for the expropriation of the hall

“According to our knowledge, lately the company has not been able to receive any bank services and has had trouble paying its bills.”

The building’s electricity and heating have been cut off, leading to concerns it will fall into disrepair as the weather turns colder.

Helsinki Sanomat reports the Finnish government has set aside €200,000 in its budget for the expropriation of the hall, which it believes may require its own separate law, and plans to start the process this month if a voluntary trade cannot be completed.

“The schedule is one of the reasons why we want the process to be as quick as possible, in order to have a hall that is ready for use,” said Jukka-Pekka Ujula, the head of the city’s office.

Beverage giant Hartwall ended its 25-year association with the arena due to the arena’s Russian ownership shortly after the war began, while concerts by acts such as Elton John, Dua Lipa, Queen + Adam Lambert, Bjork, Eric Clapton, Kiss and The Cure were either cancelled or moved to other venues.

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Music Saves Ukraine has shared the results of its summer tour around European festivals.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the team has worked with 40 festivals and numerous large-scale music events. During this time, the initiative has raised over €555,000 for humanitarian needs in Ukraine.

This year, the team visited festivals including Electrum Up To Date Festival (Poland), Provinssi (Finland), Open’er (Poland), Pohoda (Slovakia), DAS FEST (Germany), ARTmania (Romania), Sziget (Hungary), Lowlands (Netherlands), as well as three big shows of the German punk rock band Die Ärzte (Germany).

The team’s presence at events included an information tent which included a photo exhibition of the Liberov family, up-to-date information on the situation in Ukraine, and banners with the names of Ukrainian artists who are fighting and who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom.

Other activities included participation in panel discussions about the war and culture in Ukraine and five screenings of the documentary Music Ambassadors Tour 2024. At every festival, people could buy charity merchandise, all proceeds from which go to humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

“Our team is pleased that the level of interest in Ukraine and Ukrainian music in the third year of the full-scale invasion remains high,” says Mariana Mokrynska, head of the Music Saves Ukraine initiative.

“This is evidenced by the number of festivals that are willing to cooperate with us and invite Ukrainian artists to their stages. Festivals like Sziget in Hungary and Pohoda in Slovakia kept demonstrating their unwavering support of Ukraine. This is reflected in the number of Ukrainian artists at these festivals and numerous actions they employ to help.

“[We are] pleased that the level of interest in Ukraine and Ukrainian music in the third year of the full-scale invasion remains high”

“This season was also notable because we collaborated with Germany’s largest punk rock band, Die Ärzte, which gathered more than 180,000 people in the centre of Berlin for three days in a row, and the team of artists organised a festival for Ukrainian refugees living in the event area (Tempelhof, where the Tempohomes refugee camp is located). They also sent charitable contributions from the invitations to our initiative. However, we hope that next year the reason for our visit to European festivals will change.”

Festivals such as Pinkpop (Netherlands), OpenAir St. Gallen (Switzerland), Les Eurokeennes de Belfort (France), Festival 66 hodin (Slovakia), Positivus (Latvia), Summer Sound Festival (Latvia), Superbloom (Germany) have organised fundraising initiatives on their own, including eco-initiatives for bottle and can recycling, cup deposit fundraising, charity merchandise sales and collected donations from people on the guest lists and accreditation. These initiatives have so far raised more than €60,000 and counting.

Music Saves Ukraine also helped European festivals book Ukrainian artists such as Lucas Bird (at Pohoda Festival), OTOY and Love’n’joy (Positivus), Nina Eba and Morwan (66 hodin), Monoconda and OTOY (Sziget), Mavka (Hoffest) and Postman (Superbloom).

The Hungarian festival Sziget became a record-breaker in terms of booking Ukrainian artists. As a result, 15 Ukrainian artists—mimes, theatre artists, DJs, and singers — were presented at the event over six days.

Many collaborations have been implemented thanks to the Music Ambassadors Tour 2024 project. In March 2024, 12 influential cultural figures from Europe, including festival directors and promoters, visited Kyiv.

After their trip to Ukraine, they began to actively book Ukrainian artists and implement various fundraising initiatives in their respective regions.

This project is presented by the Ukrainian Association of Music Events under the USAID/ENGAGE activity, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact.

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More than 100 international DJs and artists have quietly returned to playing gigs in Russia as campaigners warn western acts against “normalising” war and the Putin regime.

Russia has largely been boycotted by foreign acts in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, while touring giants including Live Nation and Oak View Group pledged not to do business with the country amid widespread outrage over its actions.

The ramifications for the international business continued to mount up thereafter, with Finland’s largest arena Helsinki Halli currently remaining shuttered due to its Russian ownership and Flow Festival ending its brand partnership with Heineken Silver due to the lager firm’s operations in Russia. Just last month English rock band Editors also pulled out of Kazakhstan’s Yandex Park Live over the alleged Russian links of the headline sponsor.

However, earlier this month, the Guardian reported that more than a dozen prominent western DJs performed at Russia’s Outline Festival in July. It was not an isolated incident – IQ has seen a list of well over 100 artists from Europe and the US – many of which are DJs or drum and bass artists – who have been booked for gigs in the country this year, in addition to already publicised examples such as American singer Joe Lynn Turner, who played Moscow’s 1930 club last October.

“It’s becoming a regular thing and is being done in such a covert fashion,” one insider tells IQ.

According to several sources, many of the acts have bypassed their booking agents to do business directly.

Russian festivals identified as having international acts on their lineups include Gamma, Mutabor, Afisha Picnic and Gazgolder Club. Two dance music events allegedly stopped announcing international headliner names until the day of the event to try and prevent them from being cancelled due to negative publicity.

“These are not superstars who will risk their career to go to Russia”

Ukrainian activist Maya Baklanova, a former mainstay of the Kyiv electronic music sector, has sought to raise awareness of the issue – which she believes is being driven by high performance fees – ever since the beginning of the war.

“I was approached by another promoter, who proposed to write an open letter for the electronic music scene to boycott Russian musicians who were not openly against the war,” she tells IQ. “We continued to work on that field, and then we started to switch the focus to international musicians who started to go to Russia.”

Although many of the DJs and artists in question are little known, Baklanova notes that a few have name value.

“These are not superstars who will risk their career to go to Russia,” she says. “We have seen artists who had already been to Russia multiple times before full scale invasion, so I think they have connections there. I think it’s all about the solid fees, with the excuse that you are going to visit your friends from pre-war life and that music is out of politics.”

Uwe Schmidt, a German DJ who performs under the name AtomTM, addressed criticism aimed at him for performing at Outline in an open letter posted on his website. Schmidt hits out at Baklanova and what he deems a “clearly politically motivated smear campaign against me and fellow artists which dared to perform their music in certain places, unsanctioned by a certain group of political activists”.

“I consider myself a profoundly non- or rather trans-political person,” he says. “Many years ago I had decided to take the path of making true human bonds through music. Unlike politics, which is the mode of separation, I had chosen music, which is the mode of connection.

“It should be redundant to say that I do not perform music for countries, nations, governments, ethnicities, political or ideological ideas, but for people – for other humans, independent of their passports, skin colour, gender or whatever cultural background they may have. It seems that music has lost that, previously obvious, message. In conclusion, I do reject speaking the language of war and hate or the language of nationalism.”

“Everything that we see going on in the cultural sphere in Russia is under Kremlin control, so you cannot separate culture and politics in modern Russia”

Baklanova rejects the argument, adding that she has grown weary of explaining why art cannot be separated from politics in this case.

“Russia invaded an independent neighbour country, yet at the same time, you are going to perform for festivals, for venues, for companies, which are directly involved in this war,” she says. “Russia’s strategy is to use culture to normalise the regime. Everything that we see going on in the cultural sphere is under Kremlin control, so you cannot separate culture and politics in modern Russia.”

IQ contacted a number of major agencies to ask for clarification on their policies with regards to booking their artists into Russia at the moment.

While the majority of major agencies contacted by IQ either declined to comment or did not respond to the request, ATC Live founder Alex Bruford says: “We can’t guarantee the safety of our artists in a country that uses false imprisonment of foreigners to leverage the return of its citizens. Therefore, we won’t send our artists to Russia.”

Independent Artist Group EVP, head of global music, Jarred Arfa says: “While we don’t have an official company policy, in general, most of our artists don’t seem to have interest in going to Russia at this time. If asked for guidance, I think we would tell artists not to go there at this time given the geopolitical situation and potential backlash.”

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Ukraine’s Atlas Festival is set to take place for the first time since the Russian invasion, it was announced last month.

Rebranded as Atlas United, the fundraising festival will take place in the capital city of Kyiv from 12–14 July after three years away.

Over 70 Ukrainian artists and several international acts will perform across six stages installed in Kyiv’s Blockbuster Mall, with the underground car park to be used as a shelter in the event of an air siren.

Here, programming director Vlad Yaremchuk tells IQ how the Atlas team is pulling together the biggest festival Ukraine has seen in years.

How have you managed to bring Atlas Festival back under such challenging conditions?
Vlad Yaremchuk (VY): I still can’t believe that we’ve announced it, because Russians are bombing the country every other day and the [power] blackouts are back. But it was important for us to run the festival. We wanted to make sure we could make it safe to a degree we are happy with, where we wouldn’t be putting people in danger, even though that’s an incredibly relative term here. The festival will be held at Blockbuster Mall, which has the largest certified bomb shelter in the whole country.

It has an underground parking that is bigger than 50000m2, which can hold well above 100k people and that would be our shelter, which is a must for a festival in Ukraine. Our maximum daily capacity will be way smaller than what the shelter can fit, so we have the confidence that we can evacuate people quickly. It’s still a big challenge to organise; like every festival, we have safety and security procedures, but we hope we never have to use them.

With blackouts, curfew, air alarms and the constant threat of Russian aerial attacks, it’s not easy. We will close at 10 PM every day, which means everyone has time to get back home using public transport by midnight, when the curfew starts. We’ve also had to schedule stage times to finish by 9.30pm, to give us 30 minutes of emergency time, in case there’s an air raid alarm at any point, which might eat into set times. We’ve told artists they need to prepare two set lists – one for a normal set and one in case it has to be truncated due to air raids. Obviously, we hope that if there is an air raid alarm, it won’t be because of an attack on Kyiv, but even if nothing is flying towards Kyiv, just the fact that that alarm is there means we need to evacuate everyone and wait until it’s over.

“We’ve told artists they need to prepare two set lists – one for a normal set and one in case it has to be truncated due to air raids”

What’s the demand for live music like among Ukrainians?
VY: As previously reported in IQ, there have been shows attracting 10,000 people at a time, which shows just how strong demand is for live music here. I hope that our festival can set a precedent because music has been active here from the very moment that it was possible. There are so many concerts in Kyiv and Lviv, there are festivals happening, even though they are smaller. There are small events happening even in the frontline cities because people there also deserve to have access to culture and live music.

All these shows and festivals raise funds in one way or the other for the army and humanitarian causes, but on the morale side, these shows unite people. We hope the festival will let us show to the world that music is happening here, we want to show that we are ready to welcome people and artists no matter what. Of course, coming to Ukraine now is not your normal, usual trip to make, but if you are an artist and you do come, you get the most hospitable reception and the most grateful, inspiring audience you can imagine.

International acts have performed here – Bono came, The Tiger Lillies have played a few times. GusGus and IAMX played Lviv. [Drum n Bass producer] London Elektricity and a lot of his peers came, but none of these shows were noticed outside of Ukraine enough to highlight the fact that we are ready to welcome artists. We hope to show people that it is safe enough to visit cities like Kyiv, there are risks, but we’ve learnt to manage them here. The demand and the infrastructure are all here. Acts can go to Lviv if they are particularly worried, it’s close to the Polish border, so it’s an easier trip and it is safe enough there. We consider Kyiv safe to come as well, as long as you follow the basic safety protocols.

“People have this picture that Ukraine is all ruins, so normal life isn’t possible here – but it’s only partially true”

Of course, you would never want to put artists at risk, right?
VY: Of course. One of the main challenges is that agents might not be interested in these shows because we can’t offer the same financial guarantees as other countries in Europe, and we can only insure so much. But people have this picture that Ukraine is all ruins and everything’s been bombed, so normal life isn’t possible here – but it’s only partially true. Due to the sheer size of the country, you get varying degrees of safety and normality. I’m hoping we can get that across. We need to normalize coming to Ukraine now, not after the war ends.

What’s the infrastructure like for concerts?
VY: Most of the venues that go up to 10,000 capacity have been working for some time now. Our 1,100-capacity Atlas club reopened in September 2023, but others have been open for even longer than that. Most of them have a shelter, either in the venue itself or very close nearby. Since the winter of 2022-23, when there were many blackouts, most of the venues now have a generator for backup power. And it’s going to be the same for our festival. This became the new normal for the event industry here, we have adapted to all these challenges so that we can keep going, raise money and give people great music and a feeling of unity.

“We have a stage in our shelter, which will work no matter what, even if there is an air raid alarm”

Tell us more about the festival.
VY: We will have two big open-air stages, including the main stage. Then, there are three stages inside the mall itself, two of which would be free for everyone so you can check them out even without a ticket. And last but not least, we have a stage in our shelter, which will work no matter what, even if there is an air raid alarm, so people would get music even when there is a threat and everyone’s been evacuated.

The shelter is very easy to reach from every stage and point of the festival, there are multiple wide entry points, so we can get large numbers of people in very quickly. We are aiming at about 25,000 daily capacity, which is way less than what Atlas usually is, yet larger than other festivals of 5-10k cap that happened after the invasion started. But we wouldn’t be doing it in Kyiv and with a capacity like this if we didn’t have this venue with its shelter and could not ensure quick evacuation.

A big focus for us is to make the festival inclusive and comfortable for people with disabilities, the number of which rose significantly because of the war. They can come to the festival for free and we have ensured they get the best experience possible with specially-equipped taxis available for transfer to and from the festival, a great view of all stages, comfortable navigation and all the support they might need.

“We want to make sure we can help the country in a noticeable way that justifies doing such an event in such circumstances”

And then, the part that is as important for us as safety is fundraising. We want to make sure we can help the country in a noticeable way that justifies doing such an event in such circumstances. Our main goal is to raise at least UAH 100 million (EUR~2.3mln) for the army and also raise significant funds for various humanitarian initiatives and we hope to raise even more than that. Everyone will be involved in the process – our sponsors and partners, responsible businesses, our artists and our audience. For each part of the festival, we think how it can contribute to reaching our goal. This is the only right way for us to do it.

On the artist side of things – it is, of course, a predominantly local line-up of 70+ acts of all sizes, but we are also lucky to have some international names. Our main international headliner is Sharon Den Adel – leader of Within Temptation. She was in Kyiv earlier this year to shoot a music video for the song they released with a Ukrainian artist, so she was comfortable with the idea of playing a show in Ukraine.

We are truly grateful for that kind of trust. She is a big artist and she is leading by example and hopefully, more acts follow in her stead. She won’t come with a band, instead, she’ll do a unique programme consisting of the band’s hits with an orchestra and a choir. This programme was created for the festival and will be played for the first time, closing off the festival. It is created by a young Ukrainian composer Maria Yaremak. It is not an easy performance to put together in the current situation, but I guess we just have a knack for challenging ourselves ever more, otherwise, we wouldn’t be doing the festival in the first place. We’ll also have the Lithuanian act Beissoul & Einius, who played multiple editions of our festival, including the first and also a Japanese act called heavenphetamine.

“Music for us is an act of defiance”

How important is music to the Ukrainian people?
VY: Because of the war, people here feel life way sharper. The stakes are so high that whatever experiences you have, they are sharper, for better or for worse. Music events here are not for entertainment – there’s a deeper purpose to them. They foster a feeling of unity, they facilitate the development and re-discovery of our culture, which Russians are trying to erase. They raise much-needed funds. They give people a break and bring them together, reminding them that we are all in this together. We shout the lyrics together and the music flows through us. Music helps us live through this crazy reality we all share. Whether the songs are about sorrow, the feeling of unity, or the energy to continue the fight and maintain your resilience, they are all needed. So the concerts that happen now are unlike any other.

But also, zooming out, music is so very precious to us. We now sing the same songs that the generations of Ukrainians that came before were singing and they ring differently now. Those generations were dreaming about having an independent country where we could finally just live peacefully in our own land. And now we have the privilege of living in that country, but we have to protect it. So music for us is an act of defiance. It’s about who we are and who we strive to be.

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