And so after 40 years (really?) The Ukrainians have their farewell tour. I finally got to meet Len Liggins and Peter Solawka. I really wasn't sure what to expect. Of course I knew their sound having heard them on the original Peel Session and I have a single that David Gedge was selling in Rock City on his tour last year. However, somehow I had always missed them live. Time to make amends. It was 40 years almost to the day since they formed, and almost four years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. I've never seen so much joy as I heard and saw tonight.
Spring was in the evening air as I entered the venue with a little trepidation. I needn't have worried. English and Ukrainian all joined together, laughing, dancing and singing, in solidarity and friendship. The songs reflected the journey of the band and the country; the band being the first Western band to produce a music video in Ukraine and the first Ukrainian music to enter the UK charts.
Tales were shared of visiting Kyiv and Lviv in the 1990s and witnessing the pure joy and friendship of the people, emerging into the light of a new dawn, from which they wrote UkrainAmerika. This jubilation is what I discovered tonight. Immediately welcomed into Nottingham's Ukraine community, this was one of the best gig experiences I've had and it certainly went beyond the music. The band were blending traditional folk tunes and rewriting pop classics as if they had originally been written in Ukrainian.
Opening with Dva Vinochky and Durak everyone was immediately united in dancing and singing. Further warming up with the reworking of a Smiths classic Koroleva Ne Pomerla, with further songs reflecting the beauty of places with Oh Na Hori and Lito u Lvovi.
And let's just allow one song to give hope: Zavtra.
Ultimately this evening was an album launch, a farewell and a show of strength and solidarity. Liberatsiya.
With Peter afterwards we chatted about bands from the past, and mutual friends. My whole soul was beaming and I felt so much joy. I just couldn't help it tonight. This one is in my top ten gigs, completed by the audience and venue.
Amazing.
The Ukrainians performed at Nottingham Ukrainian Cultural Centre on 21st February 2026.
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