**The Rasmus Brings Its Music Back to Kyiv, Headlining Ukraine’s Largest Festival Amid Russian Bombardment**
In a powerful display of solidarity and defiance, the Finnish rock band The Rasmus took to the stage at Ukraine’s largest music event, the Atlas Festival, in Kyiv over the weekend. This was their first performance in the city since 2022, when the festival was downscaled due to Russia’s full-scale invasion.
**A Return to Normalcy**
The Atlas Festival has been a staple of Eastern and Central European music scenes for years, featuring many international acts. However, with the start of the all-out war, most foreign artists avoided the festival amid Russia’s ongoing bombardment of Ukraine. The Rasmus, however, was not one of them.
“We love Ukraine very much,” said bass guitarist Eero Heinonen. “When we received the invitation to perform, we immediately felt that we had to do this — because we want to support the people, support this country, and show that we care.”
**Safety Measures in Place**
The festival’s organizers took extensive safety precautions to ensure a smooth event. The venue for the festival was chosen with safety in mind at the courtyard of a Kyiv shopping mall that has an underground parking lot capable of accommodating 30,000 people. In the event of an air raid siren, the artists would be required to pause their performance and lead the audience into the shelter.
That was the case on the festival’s opening day, when the crowd was evacuated twice due to the threat of incoming Russian ballistic missiles. Once the air raid finished, the audience returned, and the music resumed.
**A Different Reality**
The Rasmus arrived in Kyiv on July 18 and immediately experienced the reality of life under threat. While visiting Independence Square to honor the memory of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war, the band heard an air raid alert on their way back and sought shelter.
“It was scary, I gotta say — to wake up to the alarm,” said lead singer Lauri Ylönen. “For us, it’s all shocking and new — we’ve only been here for 37 hours or so. But for you guys, it’s normal life. It’s been everyday life for years already.”
**Charitable Event**
For the second year in a row, the music festival has also served as a charitable event. The Rasmus performed alongside Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra to raise money for Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, Okhmatdyt, which was severely damaged in a Russian missile strike last year.
“It was a very emotional visit, a very eye-opening visit,” Ylönen said. “That hospital was bombed just a year ago — which feels very, very wrong. But we want to raise money for this hospital and other children’s hospitals in Ukraine.”
**A Message of Solidarity**
The Rasmus has been performing in Ukraine for nearly 20 years and has built a devoted fanbase. Their set at Atlas Festival was met with enthusiasm from the packed venue, who sang along to every song.
“I feel that Finnish people and Ukrainians are somehow similar in mentality,” said drummer Jarno Lahti. “Especially yesterday and today, we saw how people help and support each other. That’s something fantastic — and something I’ll really remember from this trip.”
The Rasmus’ performance at the Atlas Festival serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and solidarity that exists between nations in the face of adversity.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com
