On this day 33 years ago, Sonic Youth performed in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was several months after the release of Daydream Nation and part of the band's first visit to former USSR cities including Vilnius, Leningrad, and Moscow. Today, the band has shared the live recording from their show in Kyiv that awakened many Lithuanians, Russians, and Ukrainians to the New York City underground. "That SY Kyiv show was life changing for all musicians that were there," Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz explained. "We were already attuned to Nick Cave, Einsturzende Neubauten, S Pistols, and Discharge but these were the new vitamins we needed. I made a decision to experience NY right there.”
"In general, few people said how much The Sonics, with their arrival, promoted the entire soviets, and not just Kyiv," songwriter Sergey Popovich added. "After all, in fact, perhaps, with that tour they hammered the final nail in the coffin of the soviets, and it was as if they let us in Kyiv breathe a mixture that was finally suitable for life."
Proceeds from the album will go toward Ukrainian relief via World Central Kitchen, who provides meals to communities amidst humanitarian crises. Purchase the recording below, and learn more about World Central Kitchen here.
