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Lviv and Kyiv, Ukraine – Bogdan Slanoff, the fast-talking vocalist of a heavy metal rock band called YAD, traverses a jam-packed backstage area. He walks past a guitarist who has just finished an adrenaline-pumping, high-octane set, drenched in sweat, to a small table piled high with audio equipment, tea and biscuits. From under the table, he quickly hoists a rucksack containing the clothes he will wear on stage.
Concert halls, intimate venues in the western Ukraine city of Lviv, are covered with music posters and, on one night in early February, filled with hundreds of rock lovers eagerly awaiting their next performance. increase. The atmosphere is electric and Slanov is excited.
Referring to Russia’s full-scale invasion of his native Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the 33-year-old said, “Young people didn’t appreciate music as much as they did before the war.
“Our band always sings about their problems. Now it’s about wanting to survive,” says Slanov, taking in the frenzied backstage atmosphere.
Sulanov works as a software developer during the week but is a rock star in his free time. “We all need work, but we also need energy, which we get from music!” he said before politely excused his set preparations. .
On stage, Bohdana Nykyforchyn, a 35-year-old singer with dyed shoulder-length red hair, yells into a microphone while her bandmates thump a drum set.
Nykyforchyn carries the room through a range of emotions, alternating between softer melodic tones and more aggressive, fast-paced vocals. At one point, her voice cracks and she looks like she’s about to cry. After the set, she explains why. “I’m eight months pregnant, but my dream was to climb this stage,” she says. “When the second song came on, I felt all the emotions erupt. My hormones are everywhere!
Backstage, Slanov transformed into his onstage persona in an all-white outfit. His eyes peer through a balaclava emblazoned with the word “not good”.
The members of YAD rush to the stage, and the audience goes wild, from new teens to gray-haired middle-aged rockers. People in the front row shout out words to the song, including a boy who looks like he’s about 10 years old. The guitarist briefly stops walking around the stage when he spots the boy and gives him a hearty thumbs up.
Event organizer Malichka Chichikova, who helps out at the bar, admits that while heavy metal isn’t her favorite music genre, she’s happy to see everyone enjoying themselves. look up and say: This is also very important. ”
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