Liverpool will host #Eurovision 2023 on behalf of Ukraine…and it’s gonna be proper boss

Find out all about Liverpool 2023 right here: https://t.co/a1zGojGfbr pic.twitter.com/7sZ7SaYjg2

— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) October 7, 2022

Popular British talk show host Graham Norton made the announcement on Friday 7th October 2022, whilst appearing on The One Show; the host of Eurovision stated, “The city that will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 is Liverpool“. Norton went on to praise Eurovision 2022 contestant Sam Ryder for abolishing “the curse of Eurovision” for Britain. The 59-year-old presenter then urged viewers to tune in and stated, “pop that in your calendar”.

As per Eurovision tradition, the previous year’s winning country is responsible for the following year’s hosting duties. At the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, Ukraine’s entry Kalush Orchestra was announced as the winner at the ceremony held in Italy’s Turin. However, due to recent conflict and issues that have arisen in Ukraine, the event and producers from the Europen Broadcasting Union made a decision that it would not be safe to hold the event in Ukraine.

A statement issued by the group states,  “We are very pleased that next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Liverpool. Though we haven’t had the privilege of visiting yet, the musical heritage of the city is known all over the world. Playing in the same place that The Beatles started out will be a moment we’ll never forget! Although we are sad that next year’s competition cannot take place in our homeland, we know that the people of Liverpool will be warm hosts and the organisers will be able to add a real Ukrainian flavour to Eurovision 2023 in this city.”

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, has also given a statement, “While we came up against stiff competition from Glasgow, who deserve more than the nil points they have received on this occasion, nowhere is more experienced or qualified, and nowhere throws a party quite like we do. We want to put on a show that Ukraine would be proud of, and we have been working closely with Liverpool’s sister city of Odesa to ensure that this is their event as much as our own.“

He continues, “Now the hard work begins. Putting on a show that will give millions a night they will never forget in one of the most turbulent and trying years for our continent is no mean feat. If anywhere is capable of it, it is the Liverpool City Region, with a little help from our friends in Ukraine.”

Although the country is unable to host the event, Ukraine’s involvement in the 2023 contest will still be honoured, an official logo for the 67th year of Eurovision has been released to celebrate the country. Whilst the confirmation of Liverpool’s hosting duties was announced, the new logo design was also released. The new image features Ukraine’s flag encased within a heart; the new logo shows that although the UK will host The Eurovision Song Contest 2023, it will be hosting the event on behalf of Ukraine.

Speaking on the new logo and its meaning, the head of Managing board of UA: PBC, Ukraine’s public broadcaster Mykola Chernotytskyi, has stated, “It is symbolic that the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Liverpool, a twin city of Odesa. The organisation of a contest of this level sets super demanding requirements. I am confident that the city recognised as the capital of pop music will meet them in the best way and will deliver the celebration of music that will amaze both delegations and fans of Eurovision.“

Founding member and clothing line owner Syke completed the athletic feat by swimming, running and cycling, three features which make up a traditional triathlon. The 35-year-old singer took to social media to announce his participation and shared pictures from the event. Within the post, Syke stated, “We did it! Thank u so much to everyone that sponsored us in our first triathlon 4 @ukraine.pride means the world. I’m going to leave up the donation page til tomorrow would be sick to double our goal (link in bio) but yeah sick thank u!”

Fellow founding member Nicholls also posted about the triathlon via social media, the 36-year-old musician said, “Had a great time today doing this. All for a good cause. Thanks to everyone that donated, me and Ol are dead chuffed to have smashed the target we set for the fundraising.”

Sykes and Nicholl’s band, Bring Me The Horizon, have shown support for the people of Ukraine before. On March 2nd 2022, the metal group took to the stage of O2 Brixton Academy to perform at this year’s BandLab NME Awards. Whilst displaying the Ukrainian flag upon the drumkit, they dedicated their six-song set to those affected by the current conflict in Ukraine. Before closing their show with “Throne”, Sykes addressed the audience, “I guess it’s better being here in a room full of influential people: they need to use their voice every single day until this crisis is over, If Kyiv does not survive, international peace will not survive,”

UKRAINEPRIDE took part in this year’s London Pride event, the charity took to the streets in the capital with a 50-strong group. A statement on the organisation’s website describes the cause, “UKRAINEPRIDE is a propatriotic queer movement. We nurture our cultural identity and defend it to share it with our soulmates from various countries, who belong to different nationalities and ethnicities, who have diverse complexions or practice varied religions. We preserve and protect our culture to tell the entire world about it.”

The mission statement continues, “Due to the opposite direction from imperial Russia chosen 8 years ago, currently we have the opportunity to attain equal rights for the LGBTQ community as well as all discriminated groups. We are not afraid of anything. We are defending our land. Glory to Ukraine, Glory to our Heroes!”

Bring Me The Horizon are set to perform in Finland on 13th August 2022 for Knotfest, the band will next appear at German Highfield Festival on 19-21 August 2022. The “Mantra” rockers are scheduled to perform at two more European festivals this month before heading home for their set at Reading Festival. The band will take the stage at the festival on 27th August 2022 and will make their appearance at the festival’s Leeds campus on 28th August 2022. On 22nd September 2022, Bring Me The Horizon will perform at Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, USA, the group will then embark on an extensive tour consisting of the US, Australia and Europe.

Click here to make a donation to Oliver Sykes Justgiving.

Bring Me The Horizon Uk tour dates

27/08/2022 – Reading Festival – Reading
28/08 – Leeds Festival – Leeds

Click here to purchase tickets.

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Ahead of the band’s inaugural Glastonbury performance, frontman Psiuk spoke to Sky News concerning their appearance, “We want to share our culture and our music. And Eurovision was one point where we showed our Ukrainian music and want to spread it all over the world. We’re super happy to be here and we really want to impress everybody here. Right now, I feel a great support of all over the world. It’s great that people from here also support Ukraine. And we are very thankful to everybody, to each person who supports Ukraine.”

The band was initially birthed as a side project by the rap group Kalush, the Kalush Orchestra was formed in 2021 and became known for their unique blend of hip hop and folk. The group consists of core members rapper Oleh Psiuk, Ihor Didenchuck, MC KylymMen and Orchestra members Tymofii Muzycuck, Vitalii Duzhyk and vocalist Sasha Tab. They rose to international fame after winning this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the band clinched first place with their winning song “Stefania”, the collective’s recent win marks a Eurovision hat trick for Ukraine.

Due to the conflict and raging war in Ukraine, certain members of the band were part of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia. Just weeks before the collective were crowned Eurovision winners, those enlisted in the resistance were fighting against Russia’s violent invasion. Since the confirmation of their Eurovision win, the band have become beacons of hope amid the chaos and “Stefania” has turned into an anthem of empowerment and courage.

Due to the band’s triumphant win, “Stefania” has also become a worldwide hit but is currently the band’s only known hit within the UK. In preparation for their Glastonbury performance, the band had to work quickly to produce a full set list and in the span of 10 days, a dozen songs were written and produced. The rapid writing and composing sessions paid off, armed with a set list of 13 songs the band took to the stage to win over Worthy Farm.

The group performed largely in Ukrainian with some lines and raps spoken in English, with an electric stage presence they were still able to connect to the 3,000-strong crowd. Equipped with an onstage translator and enough catchy hooks to fill an album, any form of a language barrier was soon broken and the collective quickly became a festival highlight. As per the request of the roaring crowd, the band closed their set with a reprise of  “Stefania”. Whilst on stage, Psiuk took some time in-between songs to give an emotive speech concerning the conflict in Ukraine and told the audience “Just imagine it’s the last party of your life“.

Psiuk has spoken on the group’s debut appearance, “We are so excited to be playing at Glastonbury Festival alongside some of the biggest names in music from around the world. This is the perfect place for our first ever British performance and we hope it will be the start of many in the UK. We are very grateful for all the support we receive from the people of Britain, both for us and our country, and we are preparing a very special Ukrainian surprise for the fans at Glastonbury. What is it? You’ll soon see. See you there.“

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At 2 pm last week, the band’s catalogue was made accessible via the app meaning that users are now able to utilise Pink Floyd’s music within their own creations. TikTok creators can access official sounds from the group’s tracks, all fifteen of the band’s studio albums are featured within the recent collaboration. Included within the full list of tracks accessible to fans are “See Emily Play”, “Money”, “Comfortably Numb”, “Wish You Were Here”, “High Hopes” and the group’s era defining anthem “Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)” plus many more.

The iconic band are no stranger to visually pleasing artforms and have utilised such processes throughout their career. The London formed rockers’ partnership with TikTok continues such creative practices whilst combining their unique aesthetic with modern and digital processes. The band’s first TikTok was posted via their account with the caption “Pink Floyd has arrived”, by the morning of Tuesday 31st May 2022 the band’s profile had acquired over 14,000 followers.

@pinkfloyd Pink Floyd has now arrived #pinkfloyd #learningtofly #fyp ♬ Learning to Fly (Remix 2019) – Pink Floyd

The group have joined a long list of successful artists who have utilised TikTok to benefit their careers, many established acts have seen the potential held by TikTok and have utilised the app’s global reach to propel their popularity. The social media platform has also been responsible for the success of many new artists, with over 1 billion users TikTok has become a vital tool for any new and emerging acts.

The TikTok launch date coincided with another important landmark of Pink Floyd’s storied career, the 30th May 2022 marked the fiftieth anniversary of The Dark Side Of The Moon. It has been half a century since the initial recording stages for the seminal album took place, the band recorded the influential album at the iconic Abbey Road Studios within two sessions. The album was released on 1st March 1973 via Harvest Records and marked the group’s eighth studio album.

Pink Floyd have become known for their talented virtuosic musicianship and humanistic lyrical content, the band’s songs have historically dealt with such issues as social injustice, war, oppression and morality. Formed in the early 1960s, Pink Floyd now consists of surviving members David Gilmour and Nick Mason, both band members have joined a roster full of artists voicing their support for Ukraine.

Earlier in the year, Gilmour and Mason released a song in aid of the recent conflict, “Hey Hey Rise Up” was released with Ukrainian artist Andriy Khlyvnyuk, funds occurred through the track’s sales and streams were donated to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund. Gilmour spoke to Rolling Stone concerning the single, “The following that we have as Pink Floyd — the size of the platform. When I spoke to Nick, and he said he was willing to do it as Pink Floyd, it seemed like a no-brainer, We want to spread this message of peace, and we want to raise the morale of the people who are defending their homeland there in Ukraine. So why not?”

President @ZelenskyyUa invited us to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that’s what we’ve come to do. — Bono and The Edge #StandWithUkraine

— U2 (@U2) May 8, 2022

The pair’s performance drew a large crowd of both soldiers and civilians, and many audience members filmed the special event and shared the videos on social media. The Irish rockers showcased a set list which included their 1987 megahit “With Or Without You”. The pair also performed other beloved hits such as “Desire”, “Vertigo” and “Angel of Harlem” in addition to a rendition of the Ben E King classic “Stand By Me”, within the lyrics the duo replaced “Me” with “Ukraine”.

During the cover, the pair were joined by a special guest, Ukrainian singer Taras Topolia. The 34-year-old singer songwriter is from the Ukrainian band Antytila and became a solder when the country became invaded. Throughout the concert, Bono and The Edge were also joined onstage by other Ukrainian musicians who were forced to join the military due to the ongoing conflict.

Speaking to the audience Bono gave the supportive message, “The people in Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you are fighting for all of us who love freedom, We pray that you will enjoy some of that peace soon.” The 61-year-old activist and singer continued to rally the crowd, “This evening, 8 May, shots will ring out in the Ukraine sky, but you’ll be free at last. They can take your lives, but they can never take your pride,”

Bono recently spoke with Mark Austin from Sky News whilst visiting Borodyanka, a Ukrainian town which became occupied by Russian forces several weeks ago. Within the interview, the singer gave his opinion on the unfolding conflict and stated that he felt that “younger people in Russia will know what’s going on“, he continued to add that he has faith “in the younger people in Russia to throw this man” to evict Putin from his position.

He proceeded to discuss the struggles of Borodyanka’s population, “You can’t ever really have a sense of what these people have been through, I’m not sure words can fully express what they’ve been through.” Bono continued, “The story I wanted to tell today… is how many Ukrainians died fighting fascism, fighting the Nazis: nearly eight million. And then to be called fascists is just ridiculous.”

The surprise concert is not the only form of support in which members of U2 have participated within; earlier in the year the band released the song “Walk On Ukraine”. The single highlighted the struggles and conflict in which has hit the country, the acoustic track is a revised version of the band’s hit “Walk On”. Throughout the band’s long career, they have become known for their philanthropy, in 2005 the Grammy-award winning group were given the Amnesty International Ambassador Of Conscience Award for their efforts in combining music with the fight for human rights.

Portishead last made a live appearance at the Spanish Benicássim Festival in 2015 but sounded as great as ever last night. Playing their brand of seductive classics like “Wandering Star”, “Dummy”, “Magic Doors”, “Mysterons” and “The Rip”. Take a look at some of the footage from last night’s show in the videos below:

.@Portisheadinfo are LIVE right now for the first time since 2015! There’s still time to tune in. Donate £5 to watch > https://t.co/0AKyp8FJEu #WarChild @o2academybris pic.twitter.com/Dw9oRN7Hpg

— War Child UK (@WarChildUK) May 2, 2022

PORTISHEAD – Roads 02/05/2022 #Portishead #WarChild @Portisheadinfo @o2academybris pic.twitter.com/pi5CylhxAv — KID A (@KID_A_OK) May 2, 2022

Portishead pic.twitter.com/EyfkFcBoru

— Dan Grabham (@dangrabham) May 2, 2022

A very special performance from #Portishead Reunited for Ukraine Charity gig @WarChildUK @Portisheadinfo pic.twitter.com/QOkIj4gJtC

— Rhian Chase (@DrRhianFuge) May 2, 2022

The benefit gig, which was announced last month, gave people the opportunity to win tickets via a £10 donation prize draw, with the lucky winners selected at random. In this instance, all proceeds from the concert will go to help the children of Ukraine as the current conflict has led to 1.45 million people being forced to flee the country (the biggest mass migration of European people since World War II). The UK government has also matched the funding from the concert to go towards humanitarian efforts in Yemen.

In a statement made at the announcement of the show, Portishead said; “We are really pleased to be able to support the people of Ukraine by performing a few songs at this event in collaboration with the amazing War Child charity,”

Amid the current crisis at the hands of the Russian invasion, this benefit is the latest in a swathe of charitable endeavours that have been made by people across the music industry. In March, ITV hosted a Concert for Ukraine which was broadcast in support of the DEC’s (Disasters Emergency Committee) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. The star-studded lineup saw the likes of Ed Sheeran, Manic Street Preachers, Camila Cabello, Nile Rodgers (and many more) raise over £12 million for the cause, with the number expected to rise as donations continue to flood in.

One of the most notable instances of a band going above and beyond is Arcade Fire and the series of benefit concerts they have done in New York and New Orleans, most recently four gigs taking place in March raised over $100,000 for the PLUS1 Ukraine Relief Fund.

If you would like to help the plight of the people of Ukrainian people in their time of need, you can find links to relevant, registered charities down below:

https://www.concern.org.uk/donate/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal

https://www.warchild.org.uk

https://www.unicef.org.uk/donate/donate-now-to-protect-children-in-ukraine

1/3 Tonight at midnight, Pink Floyd will release a new song, ‘Hey Hey Rise Up’, which sees David Gilmour and Nick Mason joined by Guy Pratt & Nitin Sawhney, with an extraordinary vocal by Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Ukrainian band Boombox.
Listen/download at https://t.co/i1l92D3AYU

— Pink Floyd (@pinkfloyd) April 7, 2022

The band’s forthcoming new song is entitled “Hey, Hey, Rise Up”, and is their first brand new, freshly recorded musical release since The Division Bell, which was released back in 1994. The tune features a sample from Andriy Khlyvnyuk, who is the frontman of Ukrainian band Boombox. According to NME, a press release stated that Pink Floyd- which currently consists of David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Guy Pratt and Nitin Sawhney- recorded the new song on March 30^th. The release of the single will also be paired with a music video, directed by Mat Whitecross. The sample of Khlyvnyuk is from a viral video of the Boombox frontman singing a patriotic Ukrainian song entitled “The Red Viburnum” at Sofiskaya Square in the country’s capital city, Kyiv. The moving video can be viewed at the link below.

Трішки мотивації від лідера гурту «Бумбокс» Андрія Хливнюка pic.twitter.com/VQFdRjahGF — Armed Forces (@ArmedForcesUkr) February 28, 2022

In a statement, Gilmour said: “I hope it will receive wide support and publicity. We want to raise funds for humanitarian charities, and raise morale. We want express our support for Ukraine and in that way, show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become.”. Gilmour added: “We, like so many, have been feeling the fury and the frustration of this vile act of an independent, peaceful democratic country being invaded and having its people murdered by one of the world’s major powers.”

Gilmour went on to talk about the creation of the track, saying: “We recorded the track and video in our barn where we did all our Von Trapped Family live streams during lockdown. It’s the same room that we did the ‘Barn Jams’ with Rick Wright back in 2007. Janina Pedan made the set in a day and we had Andriy singing on the screen while we played, so the four of us had a vocalist, albeit not one who was physically present with us.”

Of the conflict, Gilmour said: “Russian soldiers, stop killing your brothers. There will be no winners in this war. My daughter in law is Ukrainian and my granddaughters want to visit and know their beautiful country. Stop this before it is all destroyed.”