Franz Ferdinand join line-up for tonight's Ukraine fundraiser gig in London
Franz Ferdinand have joined the line-up for a fundraising gig for Ukraine that is being held in London tonight (March 9).
Night For Ukraine will take place at The Roundhouse this evening and also feature the likes of Bob Geldof and Chrissie Hynde.
All money raised from the event will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to support humanitarian and emergency response work in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
Other acts on the bill include the Ukrainian-born Bloom Twins, Ukrainian baritone and Royal Opera House Principal Artist Yuriy Yurchuk, Imelda May, Jack Garratt, Eckoes, Peter Xan and more.
Tickets for the fundraiser cost between £25 and £35 and can be purchased here.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month, Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos paid tribute to the “open and welcoming” people of Kyiv. In an Instagram post that showed a picture of him and his bandmates visiting the city, he reflected on his experiences and encounters there.
“This is Kyiv when we visited less than three and a half years ago,” he wrote. “I loved this city which had a sense of optimism in amongst the deep history. The people were welcoming, open and comfortable in their identity. In some ways it reminded me of Berlin 25 years ago: a flower of opportunity unfurling in the spring sunlight.
“To see missiles crashing onto its streets and the advance of tanks towards it fills me with incomprehensible horror and foreboding for what is to come and what will be destroyed. The people. All those people on the streets, in the cafes, just going about their lives. All because of the paranoia and ego of one criminally insane man.”
The post followed another in which Kapranos said he “unequivocally condemn[ed] the invasion by the Russian state”. “I was fortunate enough to spend time in the beautiful cities of Kyiv and Odessa when I played there with our band,” he said. “The people I met were warm and my fond memories are now tinged with indescribable sadness as I see what is happening.”
He added that Ukraine posed “no threat” to Russia and warned that Vladimir Putin would not stop with capturing the country. “It’s the borders of the USSR at the very least which he is after,” he said. “I feel for the people of Russia too, particularly the people I have met over the years who I know are appalled by this action and know what the horrific consequences of this action are for them. For all of us. Ultimately this will be the end for Putin. At what horrific cost though?”
On Monday (March 7), the UN reported that 406 civilian deaths and 801 injuries had been recorded in Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.
You can donate here to the Red Cross to help those affected by the conflict, or via a number of other ways through Choose Love.
