Kalush Orchestra, the Ukrainian group who triumphed at the 2022 Eurovision song contest, are to perform at Glastonbury festival in what will be their first ever UK concert.
Ukraine won this year’s contest with Kalush Orchestra’s Stefania, after viewers across the continent came together to vote for the song and show solidarity with the nation after Russia’s invasion under President Vladimir Putin, back in February.
The group will appear at the Truth stage on Friday night (early Saturday morning, at 1:10am), in the festival’s fantastical Shangri-La area.
Frontman Oleh Psiuk said: “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.”
Chris ‘Tofu’ Macmeikan, director of Shangri-La, said it was a privilege to welcome the group, adding: “We’re honoured to have the chance to show our solidarity with Ukraine. On the Truth stage we have always championed Roma and Eastern European music, remixed for the 21st century, so they are the perfect fit.”
At noon on Friday, a talk event on the Left Field stage, co-curated by Billy Bragg, will express solidarity with the people of Ukraine, with panellists including Ukrainian activists alongside the Guardian journalists Emma Graham-Harrison and John Harris, plus others.
