(Paris) Condemnation of Madonna, Russian tour canceled by Iggy Pop, withdrawal of Pink Floyd from Russian platforms, appeal for donations from Sting, charity t-shirts from The Cure: initiatives in favor of Ukraine are emerging in the pop sphere/ rock.
Posted yesterday at 12:47 p.m.
Since being posted on his Instagram account in early March, the three-minute video has racked up 2.2 million views. Sting replays on the acoustic guitar, in his studio accompanied by a cellist, his success Russiansa 1985 title that called for de-escalation and world peace.
In the preamble, the police leader, facing the camera, denounces the “bloody decision” of a man (Vladimir Putin, whom he does not name) to “invade a peaceful neighboring country”.
“For the brave Ukrainians fighting this brutal tyranny and also for the many Russians who demonstrate […] despite threats of arrest and imprisonment,” continues the artist. His Instagram account links to the contact details of an organization delivering aid to Ukraine.
The Cure published this week on its social networks a link for the sale of t-shirts of the group, with the name repainted in blue and yellow, for the benefit of the United Nations Agency for Refugees (UNHCR). Robert Smith, leader of the group, also retweets messages from social networks dedicated to Alexei Navalny, sworn enemy of the Kremlin, against whom the Russian prosecution has just requested 13 years in prison.
Many actors from the world pop / rock scene have also canceled their planned summer tours in Russia, with pro-Ukrainian messages on their networks. “Our thoughts are with the Ukrainians and all the courageous people who oppose this violence,” wrote Iggy Pop, who was to perform in Moscow in July.
‘Putin must go’
“Ukraine, we are with you, and with all those in Russia opposed to this brutal act”, also mentions Nick Cave. The same message, except for a few words, returns to Gorillaz, one of the projects of Damon Albarn, ex-leader of Blur, who has canceled the Russian dates of his world tour.
The leader and guitarist of the group Franz Ferdinand, Alex Kapranos, makes the distinction on his networks between the administration of Vladimir Putin, which he denounces as “the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian state”, and the cultural heritage of Russia, “this great country which has inspired our group through its art and literature”.
Others have more virulent words. Stevie Nicks, singer of Fleetwood Mac, thus compares Vladimir Poutine on his networks to “Hitler who has come back to haunt us”, wishing that he would end up “turning into dust”.
Same comparison in a video on Madonna’s Instagram account where the megastar juxtaposes images of Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Putin in a video montage. Against the background of his song sorry where we hear “I’ve listened to your lies and your stories/You’re not half the man you claim to be”.
“Putin must go”, also tweets David Gilmour, pillar of Pink Floyd, who reveals that his daughter-in-law is Ukrainian. All music by Pink Floyd (since 1987) and solo David Gilmour has been removed from Russian and Belarusian streaming sites as a sign of “strong condemnation of the Russian invasion”.
In the ranks of electro, Laurent Garnier, an international tutelary figure, takes part in a compilation (Together for Ukraine, Together for Ukraine), support of a call for donations for various Ukrainian organizations.
Finally, the social networks of the Dutch pioneer festival Eurosonic have highlighted artists from Ukraine on their playlists, such as Alyona Alyona, a former kindergarten teacher, who raps in Ukrainian.