Zhadan i Sobaky: Fundraising Gig

Fundraising gig with Ska band Zhadan i Sobaky for the Serhiy Zhadan Charitable Foundation, which provides aid to eastern Ukraine.

Zhadan i Sobaky (Zhadan and the Dogs) is one of the most successful Ukrainian musical projects of the past decades. Some of its most important concerts have taken place in the underground stations of frontman Serhiy Zhadan’s native Kharkiv during Russian bombardments, at Ukrainian military bases, and hubs for refugees.

Pulsating with raucous, raw energy, the music and lyrics of Zhadan i Sobaki are saturated with the spirit of protest and resistance. 

Serhiy Zhadan’s lyrics and energy are the heart of the project. One of the most well-known contemporary Ukrainian writers, he has given a voice to the generation who came of age in independent Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 

Zhadan’s work, which has been translated into dozens of languages, speaks of freedom and abandonment, seeks to make sense of revolution and war, and bears witness to the unspeakable horror of Russia’s full-scale invasion while helping find inner strength to resist. 

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014, Zhadan has emerged as a prominent figure in civil society: supporting the army, delivering aid to civilians in the frontline territories, and articulating Ukrainian defiance. 

Zhadan i Sobaky’s song Kraina (The Country), recorded after Russia’s full-scale invasion has become an anthem of Ukrainian resistance.  

This event is organised by the Ukrainian Institute London in partnership with Battersea Arts Centre.