There used to be a band from Belfast called the Norwegians, there is a band from Moscow called Belfast so it should be of no surprise that a band called The Ukrainians come from the Yorkshire area of England. The Ukrainians were formed as a side project by Peter Solowka of early 90’s NME indie darlings The Wedding Present but the band quickly took a life of it’s own and grew beyond anyone’s expectations.

Basically The Ukrainians are trying to do for traditional Ukrainian music what the Pogues did for Irish and to be honest there isn’t much of a difference. The sons of exiles marring the traditional music they heard at home with the music of the street they grew up with. Think of The Sex Pistols crossed with mandolins, accordions and Ukrainian lyrics. They even cover “Anarchy in the UK” and “Pretty Vacant”. Good stuff.

February 2003