Taras Topolia: Last News

Bono and The Edge last night performed a 40 minute acoustic set in a bomb shelter in Kyiv, after accepting an invitation from Ukrainian president Volodmyr Zelenskiy.The musicians played to around 100 people in a subway station currently being used as a shelter from attacks on the city. In a statement, the musicians said that Zelenskiy “invited us to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that’s what we’ve come to do”.The set included U2 hits such as ‘With Or Without You’, ‘Desire’, ‘Angel Of Harlem’ and ‘Vertigo’, as well as a cover of Ben E King’s ‘Stand By Me’ performed with Taras Topolia, frontman of the band Antytila, who recently also appeared on a remix of Ed Sheeran’s ‘2step’, while also fighting in the Ukrainian army.During the performance, Bono told the audience that of all the great cities around the globe there was “nowhere in the whole world that we would rather be in today than in the great city of Kyiv”.“The people in Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you are fighting for all of us who love freedom”, he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.The superstars performed such U2 classics as “With or Without You” and “Angel of Harlem” along with a cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” — although they changed the lyrics to “Stand by Ukraine.”“President Zelensky invited us to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that’s what we’ve come to do,” the band tweeted from its official account in a message signed by Bono and The Edge — who played acoustic guitar for the makeshift subway concert.The U2 frontmen apparently chose to perform in the central Kyiv subway station because Ukraine’s transit stations have become de facto bomb shelters for residents to hide from Russian attacks. Videos on social media captured the moving event in the Eastern European country’s capital city.Bono and The Edge were accompanied for part of the performance by the Ukrainian band Antytila, whose member Taras Topolia joined the country’s military to fight off the Russians and can be seen singing in his military fatigues. Antytila recently collaborated with Ed Sheehan to raise money for the Ukrainian war effort.The U2 performance comes a month after Zelensky made a special address at the Grammys urging US musicians to use their platforms and talents to “tell the truth about” the war.“Fill the silence with your music!” Zelensky said at the time.

Bono and The Edge made a surprise visit to Ukraine this weekend to show their support of the nation during the ongoing Russian invasion.

Ukraine are already the firm favourites to take victory at the Eurovision Song Contest in a fortnight’s time with their entry Kalush Orchestra.

Antytila have posted a video with footage they’ve captured from the frontlines during “one day from the war” in Kyiv. Watch the video below.The pop-rock band are currently serving as soldiers in their war-torn country.