Covering perhaps The Clash’s most famous song “London Calling”, the namesake for their iconic third album whose influence is as pertinent today as perhaps ever. Beton have called out Putin’s regime and highlighted the lion-hearted defiance shown by residents of the sovereign country. Singing “Cause Kyiv is rising, we live for resistance!”

As told here by Beton singer Andriy Zholob “Many Ukrainian musicians are now on battlefields or in territorial defence. This time they’ve changed guitars to guns. We hope this song shows Ukrainians’ spirit and our defiance to Russian aggression.”

Commenting on the inspiration behind the cover, Zholob stated; “The Clash were one of our inspirations when we fell in love with punk rock and music in general, there is no snobbery or pretentiousness to the music, they had something to say and voiced their opinions against human anger. London Calling epitomises all of that and we are very happy to be able to take this iconic classic and turn it into our own anthem with new meaning and life.”

Aside from this brave form of constructive art, Zholob works as an orthopaedic doctor providing aid to soldiers and the victims of war. While his fellow bandmates Bohdan Hrynko and Oleg Hula are both active members of the Ukrainian territorial defence.

Audio engineer and producer Danny Saber (who previously collaborated with The Clash’s frontman Joe Stummer with his band The Mescaleros) mixed “Kyiv Calling”. Donating all proceeds to the Free Ukraine Resistance Movement (FURM).

Countless other artists helping to raise awareness and funding such as Arcade Fire, Belle and Sebastian, Bring Me The Horizon and The Subways to name just a few. Showing that the plight of the Ukrainian people has captivated the hearts and minds of people across the world.

Zholob went on to say; “We are glad it is being played not just in Ukraine but around the world as a symbol of solidarity and hope. Our country will defend our hard-won liberty and protect our right to self-determination.  We have no doubt about our victory, we are proud to be Ukrainians and feel support from musicians abroad. This means so much!”

Opportunities to donate to a registered charity organization in aid of those affected by the crisis can be found below;

https://donate.redcross.org.uk

https://www.unicef.org.uk

https://humanappeal.org.uk

https://help.rescue-uk.org

https://www.oxfam.org.uk

https://msf.org.uk

This is the protest-groups first appearance since ‘Punk Prayer’, a song that won them international acknowledgement, especially in the west, gaining endorsement from the likes of Paul McCartney and Madonna. Their flagship video was shot in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, an act that led to the imprisonment of three members Nadezhda Tolokonnikva, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich on charges of hooliganism, a sentence that much of the world regarded as a travesty. The band claim that ‘Like a Red Prison’ aims to draw attention to Putin’s practice of circumventing the majority and sharing the vast oil proceeds with his closest allies.

The song is complete with its usual, charmless vocals, screeching remonstrations with buzzy guitars grinding in the background, however the introduction is far from talentless. The bass and drums jog in syncopation with palm-muted metal crunches accenting the jutting groove, until the singer blurts out in an anxious howl. From this point onwards it’s virtually unlistenable, but after-all the message supersedes the sound.

It is important for us to acknowledge such staunch protest music in an age where it is considered cliché. Considering the groups brush with incarceration, the bravery these women show is highly commendable. The bemused looks on the oil-workers face in this video encapsulates the lack of understanding, whether it be wilful ignorance or not, that many people in ‘state-subjugated’ societies are burdened with.

You can watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOM_3QH3bBw