Vlad Yaremchuk on the ‘unbelievable’ return of Atlas Festival
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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How is the industry grappling with artist boycotts?
The last couple of months have seen artist boycotts ripple through the showcase festival season, with hundreds of acts pulling out of SXSW in Austin, and others from new music showcase festival The Great Escape (TGE) due to their sponsors’ ties to Israel.
More than 100 speakers and acts pulled out of March’s SXSW in protest of the Texas event’s sponsorship by the US Army and its support for Israel during the Gaza war. A similar number of acts were reported to have dropped out of the UK’s TGE due to its sponsorship by Barclays and its ties to Israel.
Now, attention is turning to other events, with campaign group Bands Boycott Barclays listing Isle of Wight and Latitude festivals – both of which are presented by Barclaycard – and Download as their “next festival targets”.
Last week, Pillow Queens became the first act to boycott this year’s Latitude. Posting on social media, the Irish rock band said: “As a band, we believe that artistic spaces should be able to exist without being funded by morally corrupt investors.”
A handful of acts that boycotted TGE – Picture Parlour, King Alessi, Nieve Ella, Mui Zyu – are also billed to perform at Latitude Festival. IQ reached out to the acts but none have commented.
“The impacts are going to be different for each and every artist, depending on their circumstances”
Like other acts before them, Pillow Queens referenced a May 2024 report by Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) which details Barclay’s financial ties to companies producing weapons and military technology used in Israel’s attacks on Palestinians.
In response to the boycotts, Barclays have repeatedly pointed to their online Q&A which states: “We have been asked why we invest in nine defence companies supplying Israel, but this mistakes what we do. We trade in shares of listed companies in response to client instruction or demand and that may result in us holding shares. We are not making investments for Barclays and Barclays is not a ‘shareholder’ or ‘investor’ in that sense in relation to these companies.”
Annabella Coldrick, CEO of Music Managers Forum (MMF) says it is not straightforward for an artist to pull out of a festival. “The impacts are going to be different for each and every artist, depending on their circumstances, she says. “With SXSW, there may have been funding agreements and contractual obligations to consider. There’s also the cost of getting to Austin and visas, which for an upcoming act can be considerable.”
Northern Irish artist Conchúr White, who boycotted SXSW, revealed that he “accepted a significant amount of money from PRS [for Music]” to perform at the festival.
“The financial implications for me, however, pale in comparison to the tragedies occurring in Gaza,” he continued. “I don’t want to align myself with weapon manufacturers.”
White added he will “try to be more mindful moving forward”.
“We would caution against people pressuring and making assumptions about the views of others”
Belfast band Kneecap also canceled their sets at SXSW “in solidarity with the people of Palestine” even though pulling out “would have a significant financial impact on the band”. But they said it wasn’t comparable to the “unimaginable suffering” in Gaza.
While there are a number of possible ramifications for bands boycotting festivals, artists choosing to stay on festival bills are also facing difficulties.
“There’s a lot of pressure coming from social media,” says Coldrick. “Plus you’ve got fans who may have paid to see you. Not every artist is political or feels confident enough or informed enough to express an opinion about what might be a complex global issue. Alternatively, artists may decide to play and use their platform to express their views in other ways.”
David Martin, CEO at Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), seconds that point, adding: “Music is an artistic expression, a vehicle through which to challenge political, social and financial structures. We support each artist’s freedom to take decisions about using their platform. It is up to individual artists to decide how they choose to demonstrate their views. The circumstances of such decisions will vary from artist to artist and show to show, and only those involved will be in a position to judge the best course of action. We would caution against people pressuring and making assumptions about the views of others.”
Pressure has also been directed towards the festivals to cut ties with sponsors linked to Israel. Massive Attack, Idles and Eno were among dozens of artists who were not booked to play at TGE but signed an open letter launched in April calling for it to drop Barclays as a partner.
The letter said the artists were “drawing inspiration” from Artists Against Apartheid. “A Barclays boycott was a key part of ending apartheid in South Africa, after thousands of people closed their accounts with Barclays to pressure them to withdraw investments from South Africa,” it reads.
“We are now looking closely at a festival’s sponsors in advance of confirming any appearance”
It’s yet to be seen how upcoming Barclays-sponsored festivals, which include the UK’s Camp Bestival and Summertime Ball, will respond to – or be impacted by – artists’ political interest in the Gaza-Israel war. Isle of Wight Festival declined to comment for this IQ story and Latitude Festival did not respond.
Denmark’s ENGAGE Festival is a recent example of an event that has dropped its sponsor amid controversy. The Copenhagen festival, organised by the Veterans Foundation, has asked its defence industry partners to withdraw as a sponsor following criticism and confusion from some.
“Some cannot distinguish between Danish veterans and current international conflicts,” a spokesperson for the festival said. “The Veterans Foundation does not support war and will never take a stance on international conflicts that does not align with the Danish government. We do not collaborate with organisations or companies that oppose this.”
Pressure on festivals to remove controversial sponsors is not limited to music; Hay literary festival last week dropped its principal sponsor – investment firm Baillie Gifford – after boycotts from speakers and performers over the firm’s links to Israel and fossil fuel companies.
Whether festivals change tact with sponsorships or not, one agent suggested to IQ that the recent furore may prompt more caution with booking.
“We support our artists in whatever choice they make,” they told IQ. “But we are now looking closely at a festival’s sponsors in advance of confirming any appearance.”
MMF’s Coldrick says such vigilance is business as usual in the record industry: “Clearly, if any artist is passionate about a particular cause or issue and that might have implications on the shows they play, then they need to make this known to their manager and agent. Those kinds of conversations are quite standard when it comes to sync or brand deals. Going forward, maybe they need to be standard in live music too.”
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Croatia’s INmusic pulls 2023 edition due to inflation
INmusic, Croatia’s biggest open-air music festival, has pulled the plug on its 2023 edition due to a myriad of financial challenges.
“The ongoing repercussions of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, inflation, and general sense of insecurity many of us feel in our everyday lives, have resulted in conditions which do not allow for a fully independent festival such as INmusic to take place,” reads a statement from the organisers.
“In the current circumstances, it is not possible to deliver the best possible international live music programme for a ticket price set in accordance to the local audience’s financial limitations,” it continues.
“[These] conditions do not allow for a fully independent festival such as INmusic to take place”
“Unwilling to give up either one of those principles which make INmusic festival what it is, and honouring your support since 2006 and attendance which enabled the festival to grow and develop with each edition, we have concluded it is best to focus our activities on securing the necessary preconditions for a stable continuity of INmusic festival in the future.”
The annual festival typically takes place across three days in June in the Croatian capital of Zagreb with an international-heavy lineup.
Last year marked INmusic’s 15th edition which was extended from three days to four and featured artists including The Killers, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Deftones, Royal Blood, IDLES and Kasabian. Details had not been announced for the 2023 instalment.
The organisers say they are hoping to hold the 16th edition in 2024 and share dates with fans in the following months.
— INmusic festival (@INmusicfestival) February 13, 2023
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Pohoda on most “emotional and challenging” edition
The organiser behind Slovakia’s biggest festival has told IQ about “the most emotionally charged and the most logistically difficult year in the festival’s history”.
Pohoda (peace) returned to Trenčín airport last week (6–8 July) for the first time in three years, due to two pandemic-related cancellations.
According to CEO and booker Michal Kascak, more than 10,000 people held onto tickets they bought before the pandemic and ultimately, the 30,000-capacity event sold out.
The 25th-anniversary edition played host to artists from thirty countries including Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Confidence Man, Slowthai, Lianne La Havas, Metronomy, Sigrid and Wolf Alice, though it was acts from neighbouring Ukraine that stole the show.
Kascak says the most emotionally powerful concert came from the Philharmonic Orchestra of Luhansk, an area which has been a recent focal point during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The war in our neighbouring country, plus returning after three years of the pandemic, along with powerful performances brought a spectre of emotions, from total joy to gratitude, fellowship to sorrow,” says Kascak.
“I have never seen such enthusiasm and engagement like this year in the backstage of Pohoda”
“We know how lucky we are to hold a festival in a free democratic society – we could lose it in a second like our Ukrainian friends. I grew up under a communist regime, when a festival like this seemed like an unrealisable dream.
“We’ve been doing this for 25 years now and it is amazing to see people being together in all their diversity, enjoying art, life and creating a community of tolerance and peace. It shows that festivals have an important purpose.”
Throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Pohoda has pitched in to support the citizens of Ukraine with a charity concert and an employment initiative.
As if supporting their neighbours wasn’t enough to occupy Pohoda, the festival also had to deal with the kind of post-Covid issues that are affecting festival across Europe.
“We had a lack of volunteers and temporary workers. There were many problems with flights. We also had some covid-related cancellations,” lists Kascak.
“[Despite that], I was positively surprised how were people dealing with that. All the team did incredible job, I have never seen such enthusiasm and engagement like this year in the backstage of Pohoda.”
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U2’s Bono and The Edge perform in Kyiv bomb shelter
U2 band members Bono and The Edge yesterday (8 May) delivered an acoustic concert in one of Kyiv’s subway stations that have been repurposed as a bomb shelter.
According to a post from the band’s official social media, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky invited the pair to play in his country, which has been fending off an invasion by Russia since 24 February.
According to the Irish Times, the musicians started the set with ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ as the sound of air-raid sirens went off in the distance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpAS0p2eZGQ
Elsewhere in the setlist were ‘With Or Without You’, ‘Desire’ and ‘Angel Of Harlem’. Before the latter, Bono told the crowd that there was “nowhere in the whole world that we would rather be in today than in the great city of Kyiv”.
The pair also covered Ben E. King’s ‘Stand By Me’, bringing up a Ukrainian soldier on stage to help them sing it, and changing the “me” in the lyrics to “Ukraine”. Musicians who have had to join the military in recent months also joined the band on stage throughout the set, including Taras Topolya, frontman of Ukrainian band Antytila.
During the performance, Bono also addressed the war that is ongoing in Ukraine and has taken the lives of 3,280 Ukrainian civilians as of Friday (6 May), according to the OHCHR. “The people in Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you are fighting for all of us who love freedom,” he said. “We pray that you will enjoy some of that peace soon.”
U2 aren’t the only musicians to perform in a bomb shelter as, in March, a string quintet performed to hundreds of residents taking shelter in an underground train station to mark what would have been the first day of Kharkiv Music Fest.
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ARTmania spearheads launch of job site for Ukrainians
European festivals ARTmania (Romania) and Pohoda (Slovakia) have teamed up with Music Export Ukraine to launch a pan-European job site that aims to help displaced Ukrainians from the live music industry find work in other countries.
The companies say that ARTery was launched as a reaction to the war in Ukraine but that the platform will also counter the effects of the staff shortage in Europe caused by Covid.
“We want to help [Ukrainians] resume their lives with dignity in other countries and give them a sense of normality by helping them to do what they’re trained to do,” Codruța Vulcu, festival director at ARTMania in Romania, previously told IQ.
“We want to help [Ukrainians] resume their lives with dignity in other countries”
“The aim is that these people don’t end up washing dishes in Berlin, for example, but that they can continue the work they’ve studied and prepared for – and all that added value will not get lost,” she says.
The platform officially launched on Saturday (7 May) and is already advertising jobs for ARTmania festival, Music Export Ukraine and European Music Exporters Exchange in Belgium.
Companies can post a job, while Ukrainian music representatives can register and create a profile in order to browse job offers and apply directly. Visit the ARTery website here.
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ASM launches donation scheme for Ukraine
ASM Global is showing its support for Ukraine by launching a UK fundraising initiative to support those impacted by the war, having severed ties with its business interests in Russia.
As of 14 April, customers at all ASM-operated venues in the UK to donate to the British Red Cross, with an option to add 50p to their food and beverage order during shows, which will be used to help send aid to those in need.
ASM’s UK venues include AO Arena (Manchester), OVO Arena Wembley (London), first direct Arena (Leeds), Utilita Arena (Newcastle) and P&J Live (Aberdeen).
Chris Bray, EVP of Europe at ASM Global says: “ASM Global is proud to implement this new fundraising initiative, using ASM Global’s portfolio of UK venues as locations for donations to this important cause.
“We hope our customers will support us in these efforts, as the conflict in Ukraine continues.”
“ASM Global Acts, our corporate responsibility platform, works to make a meaningful difference to communities locally and all over the world, and we hope our customers will support us in these efforts, as the conflict in Ukraine continues. These funds will allow the British Red Cross to continue their vital work in providing urgent aid to those who need it the most.”
In addition, a spokesperson from the company today (21 April) told IQ that ASM is “not operating, managing, or providing any services at any venues in Russia”.
ASM had been an international partner in the MTS Live Arena (cap. 11,500) in Moscow, a £70million investment originally due to open in 2019, now scheduled to open doors in Q2 this year.
ASM joins Live Nation, Ticketmaster and Oak View Group in pledging not to do business with Russia.
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Kharkiv Music Fest takes place in bomb shelter
A string quintet performed to hundreds of residents taking shelter in an underground train station to mark what would have been the first day of Kharkiv Music Fest.
Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the organisers of the annual international classical music festival were determined to bring a slice of the festival to Ukraine’s second-largest city.
The five musicians delivered a ‘concert between explosions’ – as it was dubbed on social media – opening with the Ukrainian national anthem, then playing works by Bach and Dvořák, alongside arrangements of Ukrainian folk songs.
The conductor and artistic director of the Kharkiv festival, Vitali Alekseenok, explained that the chosen music was programmed to highlight the connections between Ukrainian and Western European culture.
“Music can unite,” Alekseenok told The Washington Post. “It’s important now for those who stay in Kharkiv to be united.”
“Music can unite”
Music teacher and violinist Olha Pyshchyta said that performing in the subway sparked a range of emotions, after a month of war.
She said she was angry and tired “but at the concert … we felt unity”. “I, like all Ukrainians, are waiting for victory,” Pyshchyta said.
Fellow violinist Stanislav Kucherenko told The Post that the concert was unlike any other he’d played: “There was at no stage the excitement that usually happens when performing for people but I knew that I was where I should be.”
Kucherenko said music can have a “strong influence on the psycho-emotional state of a person and in the conditions of war it can inspire faith and optimism”.
Kharkiv Music Fest would’ve taken place in the grand hall of the Kharkiv Philharmonic on Saturday 26 March.
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Moscow’s Park Live festival decimated by cancellations
Moscow’s Park Live festival has been called off following a raft of cancellations from international acts.
Placebo, My Chemical Romance, Slipknot, Biffy Clyro, Iggy Pop, Deftones, Royal Blood and The Killers have all pulled out of the festival in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
With only a handful of acts left on the bill, the annual international music festival will no longer take place at Luzhniki Olympic Complex in June and July.
“Y’all already understood that Park Live festival won’t be happening this year,” reads a statement from the organisers, posted on Facebook. “The picture of current circumstances does not provide the opportunity to fit our [festival] into it for legal, logistic, or for simple human reasons.”
“The picture of current circumstances does not provide the opportunity to fit our [festival] into it”
Park Live was launched in 2013 by Moscow-headquartered promoter Melnitsa Concert Agency, with the aim of bringing international artists to Russia.
The promoter, which also has offices in Kyiv, Minsk and Tbilisi, is considered one of the leading live music organisers of international and domestic acts in the ex-USSR territory.
Alongside Park Live, the company’s stable of festivals includes UPark in Kyiv, Ukraine, which has also been called off due to the conflict.
As more events are called off in Russia, the country’s live music association is proposing a moratorium on ticket refunds to prevent “the collapse of the industry”.
Other acts that have cancelled performances in Russia include Green Day, Imagine Dragons, Louis Tomlinson, Yungblud, Franz Ferdinand, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Bring Me the Horizon.
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Russians Against War concert raises £50k
A benefit concert spearheaded by Russia’s most popular rapper has raised £50,000 for Ukrainian refugees impacted by the war.
The Russians Against War show, led by Oxxxymiron, took place last Thursday (24 March) at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London with a sold-out crowd.
The concert saw the Paradigm-repped artist deliver his first London show in six years, as well as a surprise appearance from Russian rock icon Boris Grebenshikov.
Oxxxymiron’s rare UK performance comes after he cancelled six sold-out arena shows in Moscow in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The rapper initially launched the Russians Against War concert in Istanbul, Turkey, in mid-March. Both charity shows were livestreamed on Twitch, YouTube and Instagram in the hope that people in Russia would watch and donate.
“It is times like these that remind me why I and many of us got into music and the power it holds”
Mike Malak, Oxxxymiron’s agent at Paradigm Talent, says: “It was vital to both myself and [Live Nation promoter James Ponnusamy] to put this show on and unify people against war and allow an incredible artist to use his platform. It is times like these that remind me why I and many of us got into music and the power it holds.
“To see so many people of different ages and backgrounds come together and raise an incredible amount of money for an important cause makes it all worth it. Combining the live experience with livestreaming meant we could not only raise money but also an awareness that this is a war nobody wants to see nor supports.”
Ponnusamy adds: “Nights like last Thursday are an incredible reminder of the strength of music and how it brings people together for the greater good. Thank you to ticket holders and the livestream audience who helped raise awareness and show their generosity and support. All donations received will help those in Ukraine impacted by the war.”
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