In this week's newsletter:
- We look back on work we've published from writers and musicians in Ukraine after the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion
- Fancy some barbed indie-punk as Track Of The Week?
- Getdown Services reveal the true cost of merch cuts
- Find out about the Leadmill's continued battle for survival
- The Music Venue Trust pivots into the festival sphere
On 24th February 2022, Vladimir Putin launched the devastating invasion of Ukraine. What he presumed would be an effortless operation has proven anything but, thanks to the defiance and rapid mobilisation of the Ukrainian troops. Despite repeated talks in recent months to try and bring the conflict to an end, no resolution has been reached, drawing out the violence across an even longer period.
In this time, around two million people are thought to have died across the Ukrainian and Russian forces and 6.9 million people have fled Ukraine as refugees.
Globally, the universal response has been to meet the bloodlust of war with solidarity. For the music community, this has been no different. We've been there documenting this solidarity, and the ways in which music has been a tool of resistance and solace for the people of Ukraine ever since war broke out. To commemorate this, we've rounded those pieces up below.
If you're interested in any further reading, I also highly recommend Rebel Sounds: Music Of Resistance by Joe Mulhall, which is a thorough and enlightening dive into protest music across the world but whose last chapter pointedly focuses on music from Ukraine in this time period.
How Gloomy Artists In Southern Ukraine Are Responding To The War (2024)
In times of crisis, dark music can be a beautiful way of meeting the moment head on. Ukrainian journalist and musician Kseniia Yanus dug into what surviving the occupation has been like for the artists of the Ukrainian industrial and dark folk scenes.
Kseniia Yanus
Noise Revolutionary: The Ukrainian Artist Building Instruments From Electronic Waste (2025)
The first of our essays in collaboration with the nonprofit media outlet Neformat told the story of a local artist who went from drumming to building synths by transforming electronic waste into futuristic-sounding music machines.
NEFORMAT Ukraine
How One Ukrainian Is Reinventing Noise (2025)
While living through war, Konstantin Poveda set about building his own synthesiser brand. This is his extraordinary story - and why he wants to see more modular artists come to prominence.
NEFORMAT Ukraine
Meet The Duo Keeping Kyiv Dancing (2025)
Even with war planes circling overhead, the dancefloor offers an escape. A pair of Ukrainian musicians started a club to help their fellow citizens unplug from a world of terror and keep the joy flowing - and it was all inspired by Peggy Gou.
NEFORMAT Ukraine
Track Of The Week
'Scratches' by Lava La Rue
Lush yet spiky, the latest track from Lava La Rue squeezes itself beautifully in the pocket between indie and punk. The brightness in its riffs is contrasted by La Rue's ghostly vocals, bending their voice into tones they've not yet explored. It's music to dance to, rant to, and expel the angst to, and everything in between. And, if you like what you hear, their new EP Do You Know Everything is just around the corner, expected to land later in the spring.
Our favourite albums of the year is presented in partnership with Qobuz - the service for music enthusiasts featuring high quality sound so that we can rediscover music. Listen to tracks from our Best Of January and February 2026 playlist and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz.
Promoter David Littlefair is on the podcast
Sean spoke to David Littlefair to discuss the grassroots pledge he's made with Marrapalooza, the DIY festival in Newcastle's Ouseburn Valley - redirecting ad spend away from Meta, refusing to book artists based on follower counts, and putting money back into the local scene instead of offshore platforms.
They also dig into why 85 per cent of Arts Council music funding goes to opera and classical music, how Spotify has spent fifteen years extracting hundreds of millions from British artists, and why the grassroots levy risks being offshored by Instagram ads.
Listen on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
DiS Support
In the latest episode of wins for women...
I absolutely loved hearing the news that PinkPantheress has become the first woman to win the Producer Of The Year award at the BRITs, which will take place this weekend in Manchester. At 24, she's also the youngest winner of the award, which has been handed out since 1977. History is going to treat her kindly, judging from the number of people a little better acquainted with her than me who tell me she's a singular voice of her generation. I suspect the memory I have of cramming into an overflowing tent at a jungle-like temperature with sweat dripping off the walls to see her at Reading 2022 is going to age like wine.
Book More Women enters a new era
A year after Book More Women confirmed that there'd been a drop in the number of women booked for US multi-genre festivals in 2025, they're jumping into their next chapter. Hoping to move beyond presenting data to making even more tangible change, they're now relaunching as a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas. They're aiming to provide support to organisers wanting to improve the gender balance on their line-ups, as well as opportunities to "underserved" artists and offering resources in the form of workshops. A podcast is also on the way, exploring industry systems, power, and access in music.
Emma Wilkes
Getdown Services get down about merch cuts
We all hate merch cuts - especially the artists for whom slinging t-shirts is a lifeline. A post from Getdown Services outlining the effect merch cuts will have on them when they tour with Viagra Boys next month very much hits that home, outlining the reality artists have to face when swerving around these cuts (i.e. by selling merch at pop ups in pubs) has.
The band confirmed that they have been unable to avoid the 25 per cent merch cut, revealing they had to put their prices up to compensate.
"The obvious solution is to put our prices up and I’m afraid that’s what we’re going to have to do. These gigs are costing us too much money to risk not making some back on merch," they wrote on Instagram.
"What we’re doing is trying to push anyone who wanted a t shirt to buy online instead."
"Hopefully one day someone from one of these venues explains to us why they do this but until then we’ll be dipping the till behind the bar to get the 25% commission that we’ve decided we deserve," they joked.
"Basically, if you fancied a t shirt It would be cheaper for you and also help us out if you bought one online."
Solidarity! And, if you wish, you can grab a shirt from them from Bandcamp or below.
A new future for Sheffield's Leadmill?
Though beloved Sheffield venue the Leadmill lost its battle against eviction and closed in June after 45 years of operation, they're not going away quietly. (The site now operates as Electric Studios). They've launched a crowdfunder to reopen a second incarnation of the venue in a new location, with every penny donated going towards securing a site, fitting it out and then opening it.
“This campaign is about safeguarding independent culture,” said a spokesperson. “If The Leadmill has ever been part of someone’s story – a first gig, a favourite night out – this is a chance to help ensure it exists for the next generation.”
Music Venue Trust fill a Glastonbury-sized gap with a festival for everyone
Glastonbury's on a fallow year this year, but fear not - there'll be exciting music events right down your road. This is what the Music Venue Trust is bringing to life this summer, with the new Everywhere At Once Festival, which will reach over 500 music venues across the weekend of 26th-28th June. Over 1200 performances will take place up and down the country across three days with the aim of aiding investment into grassroots music venues.
CEO Mark Davyd said:
"This is a hugely significant moment for the grassroots music sector. Seeing hundreds of venues come together across one weekend shows the true strength and scale of the network that underpins live music in the UK. Thanks to the support from The National Lottery, Everywhere At Once can pair visibility with meaningful, practical support, putting real investment directly into venues while amplifying their collective voice. Together, this sends a clear message: live music doesn’t just happen in major cities or festival fields - it happens on our high streets, in our towns, and in the spaces communities rely on. This is what solidarity looks like in action, and it sets a powerful benchmark for what we can achieve when venues move forward together."
Related reading
Emma Wilkes