As the war in Ukraine continues to rage on, some Eurovision artists from the country have been invited to perform at the UK’s largest festival – Glastonbury.
Ukrainian presence at Glastonbury 2022
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, many Ukrainian artists have toured across the world to spread the message of Ukrainians. Glastonbury is no exception, with a number of well-known artists being invited to perform.
The festival began with an address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In his video, posted to the Glastonbury Instagram account, he called on festival-goers to share the feeling of freedom, as Ukraine cannot do so for itself.
Kalush Orchestra
Current reigning Eurovision champions Kalush Orchestra began proceedings with a slot on the Truth Stage on Friday night. The hour-long set featured 13 songs, twelve of which were written in a matter of days, according to an interview with Sky News. Festival goers were able to enjoy the range of songs performed by the band, including newly released tracks “Shtomber Womber” and “Love Train”.
Go_A
In addition to Kalush Orchestra, Eurovision fan favourites Go_A also played a set at the festival. The four-piece band, having just returned from a set of gigs in Canada, brought a host of energy to the festival. The band sang iconic Eurovision hits including “Shum” and “Solovey”. As well as this, the band also brought new songs to the fore, including “Kalyna”, which was used to raise money for Ukrainians during the war.
Jamala
Winner of Eurovision 2016, Jamala has been on an extensive tour of Europe since the war began to fundraise for the Ukrainian war effort. This is Jamala’s second performance in the UK this year, following her participation in the Concert for Ukraine, which raised over £11 million. Unsure if her band would even make it to Glastonbury, Jamala performed on Saturday night at Toad Hall. Her one-hour set included tracks from her previous five albums, and included her winning song “1944”.
In addition to these artists, another Ukrainian artist – DakhaBrakha – took to the Pyramid Stage on Sunday. The folk band are the first Ukrainians ever to play the main stage of Glastonbury. DakhaBrakha previously collaborated with Jamala for her track “Zamanyly”, which she performed at the first semi-final of Eurovision 2017 in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Eurovision journey
Ukraine is one of the most successful countries to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. The country has scored eight top-five placements, with an extra three top-ten finishes. Ukraine won the Contest in 2004 with Ruslana’s “Wild Dances” and again in 2016 with Jamala’s “1944”. Jamala’s win made history for Ukraine, as it became the first ex-Soviet country to win the Contest more than once.
In 2022, Kalush Orchestra represented Ukraine in the 66th edition of the Contest with their song “Stefania”. The band scored 614 points, finishing in first place, marking Ukraine’s third victory.
What do you make of the performances from Glastonbury? Where do you think these artists should perform next? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all things Eurovision!
News Source: Various / BBC
Photo Credit: Daily News-Record
Jazzi Dibben 
Daniel Thomas
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