DakhaBrakha: The Sound of Free Ukraine
The Ukrainian world-music quartet DakhaBrakha was founded at the Kyiv theater “Dakh” and has become a symbol of a new Ukraine — free, bold, and independent. With a sound that fuses authentic Ukrainian folk with the pulse of global rhythms and instruments — from drums to cello — DakhaBrakha has conquered leading music stages around the world: Glastonbury, Sziget, Pohoda, Bonnaroo, Roskilde, GlobalFEST, and many others — from Mexico to South Korea.
Their performances are a powerful mix of theater and music — combining the visual intensity of stage performance with genre diversity and deep-rooted folk traditions. The band defines its unique style as “ethno-chaos”, a blend of multiple cultural elements shaped through research expeditions and archival recordings. They sing in Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar, and other traditional languages.
DakhaBrakha’s concert program includes acclaimed compositions such as the driving “Sho z-pod duba”, the haunting “Vesna”, and “Ptakh” — a spiritual anthem of today’s Ukraine with lyrics by poet Serhiy Zhadan. The emotional centerpiece of the show is “Plyve Choven”, a moving tribute to Ukraine’s defenders.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the band has felt a deep sense of responsibility:
“We seem to be speaking to the world on behalf of the whole country,” says Marko Halanevych. “We thank you for your support, we ask for weapons, we share our pain. And we also show a small part of our rich culture — and, by doing so, we challenge the propaganda about ‘one nation’.”
DakhaBrakha’s concerts are accompanied by powerful video art, including works by Ukrainian artists and war photographers. Each performance becomes more than a concert — it is an immersive, emotional experience and a call for solidarity.
DakhaBrakha is:
Marko Halanevych, Iryna Kovalenko, Olena Tsybulska, Nina Garenetska