PUNK cabaret superstars The Tiger Lillies are performing in Kyiv and Lviv in their second visit to war-torn Ukraine.
The group, whose extraordinary music embraces the pain, fear and sorrow of everyday life, are fan favourites in Eastern Europe.
The gigs are a rare opportunity for Ukrainians to hear artists from the outside world.
Singer and songwriter Martyn Jacques says: “It’s very moving coming back to Ukraine after a year. I get the feeling they feel a little bit deserted by the west so they really appreciate us coming.
“It seems so bitterly unfair that a democratically elected country is being viciously attacked by Russia. It feels like an honour to be here and express our solidarity with Ukraine.”
Prolific song writer Jacques, has written a cycle of songs about the current conflict, which was released last July with profits going to help Ukrainian people.
With an international reputation for being one of the foremost avant-garde bands in the world the Grammy-nominated trio tour the world playing concerts and theatre shows such as The Tiger Lillies Christmas Carol, The Ancient Mariner and the West End hit Shockheaded Peter.
In 2017 the group collaborated with a group of international artists to create a musical version of The Last Days of Mankind, with a first performance in Leith, Scotland. One of the Ukrainian actors in the production, Antonina Romanova, is currently fighting for his country.
Martyn Jacques wrote this poem about a recent visit to the Superhumans Center in Lviv, a clinic for prosthetics, reconstruction and rehabilitation.
I went to the Superhumans Center in Lviv.
I fell in love with a boy who rode horses.
He had one leg but they smiled and told me he rode better with one leg than they did with two.
A little tear trickled down my face. He had beautiful blue eyes the glow of youth.
He moved swiftly across the floor practicing with a new limb made with plaster and plasma and plastic.
But I can’t really remember because I was just trying to keep calm and keep my emotions in check from a small volcano made of tears and sobbing and grief. And I wonder why this has to happen.
Oh yes it’s for a mad man’s ego.
And a beautiful young man must walk on one leg with a prosthetic limb.
