Bob Geldof, Chrissie Hynde and more have joined the line-up for the ‘Night For Ukraine’ fundraising concert which is due to take place tomorrow (March 9).
The event, which will be held at London’s Roundhouse, will see a number of artists performing to help raise money for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). All money raised will be donated to the DEC to support humanitarian and emergency response work in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
Geldof and Hynde will be joined by the Ukrainian-born Bloom Twins, Ukrainian baritone and Royal Opera House Principal Artist Yuriy Yurchuk and Imelda May.
The evening will also feature resident choreographer of The Royal Ballet Wayne McGregor CBE and a host of UK artists, including Jack Garratt, Eckoes and Peter Xan, as well as a special performance by London Community Gospel Choir.
Other performers on the bill include Tom Baxter, Joseph Toonga, Nadeem Din Gabisi, Joseph Lawrence and Archive, with more acts set to appear on the night.
Tickets for the event are available here.
On Wed 9 Mar 2022, we will be hosting a Night for Ukraine
where funds raised will be donated to @decappeal to support humanitarian and emergency response work in Ukraine
Organised by the founder of @secretcinema
Line up to be announced…
https://t.co/8i91RiE89n pic.twitter.com/XfoGTnqndn
— Roundhouse (@RoundhouseLDN) March 4, 2022
Speaking about the event, Geldof said: “I have been asked to help at tomorrow’s mega Night for Ukraine at the Roundhouse. Of course I will. I will do whatever I can do to help. At least it stops me feeling so utterly impotent if only for an hour or two. You can do the same by simply showing up and enjoying yourself. See you there.”
Bloom Twins added: “We are Ukrainian and it’s humbling to see the support our country is getting around the world. We are really looking forward to be a part of this project, and not just as one-off performance but as creative collaborators. This is an absolute honour to be representing our country and helping people caught up in this devastating conflict.
“There is so much every one of us can do to make a difference and even though it’s called ‘Night for Ukraine’, the impact of it will last much longer than a night. It will belong in our memories forever.”
DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed, who will be addressing The Roundhouse tomorrow evening, said: “The public reaction to our appeal has been incredibly generous so far and we’re grateful to Night for Ukraine for helping to fundraise during this critical time.
“Our members are working tirelessly with local partners to reach people in Ukraine swiftly as the brutal conflict turns lives upside down. Families, including many children, have been forced to leave everything they know behind to find safety and desperately need food, water and shelter. The DEC exists to mobilise the British public’s generosity and goodwill at times of crisis overseas, and this is one of those moments.”
The actions of Vladimir Putin, who has claimed that Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine and that his country’s actions amount to a “special military operation”, have drawn widespread condemnation from across the globe.
Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks spoke out to say that her “heart was broken” over the situation and compared Putin to Hitler, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos paid tribute to the “open and welcoming” people of Kyiv and Foals honoured the Ukrainian crew of their recent ‘2am’ video.
Miley Cyrus, Yungblud and Elton John are among the other artists to issue statements of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Speaking to NME recently, Bloom Twins’ Anna Kuprienko said: “It’s important to strike for change. Now is the time for push for that. Post about it, go to the protests and talk about it. People think it’s just a Ukrainian conflict, but don’t even know what’s going to happen later. No one knows what’s going to happen to the Ukraine, no one knows what’s going to happen to the whole of Europe, no one knows what’s going to happen a few days from now. People need to do something to stop this because if it goes any further then it might be very bad for everyone.”
You can donate here to the Red Cross to help those affected by the conflict, or via a number of other ways through Choose Love.
The post Bob Geldof, Chrissie Hynde and more join ‘Night For Ukraine’ line-up appeared first on NME.
