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"And if the bullets finally get me, I’ll be dancing"
FROM THE EDITOR
Ukraine is becoming somewhat forgotten in our daily feeds, amid the crush of other things that demand our attention and concern.
Normally the Viaduct Arts newsletter is a wide-ranging compilation, but this installment centers solely on a new song, The Great Big Warehouse in the Sky by Icelandic artist Pétur Ben, that can serve as a gentle reminder of Ukraine’s challenging times.
Let’s not forget that those challenging times predate the current war. I photographed in Kiev during the Orange Revolution way back in 2004-2005, which felt like a turning point at the time but ended up being just the beginning.
The pro-European, anti-corruption Euromaidan protests of 2013-2014 were much more violent than the hopeful Orange Revolution, and were quickly followed by Russia’s annexing of Crimea and years of separatist conflict with Russia in Ukraine’s eastern regions.
Then of course came the current all-out war following Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
In that context, here you have a song inspired by young people’s resilience in the face of such events. A song that spawned collaborations, both within a warzone and across borders. Art and culture taking sides against nihilism, even against dire odds. A song against forgetting.
The short 2016 i-D documentary, Exploring Ukraine’s Underground Rave Revolution, that was the initial inspiration for the song is now even more poignant. It was about the Cxema collective and youth culture rising up from grim realities following Euromaidan - meaning before the pandemic and the Russian invasion that would upend the movement's idealism and energy. The young people in the documentary may think they've made it through the worst. They don’t know what’s still in store for them. It’s a time capsule maybe akin to Berlin between the world wars.
So Pétur Ben’s song is an ode to that era and the artists today who struggle with Ukraine’s ongoing existential threat. It’s also a bracing track, skillfully balancing art and message, building and layering on the intro’s propulsive acoustic guitar riff. The vocals start with a stripped-down, plaintive intensity, eventually combining with lush choral elements to elevate things to... well, to that Great Big Warehouse in the Sky. See his note below, along with a live video version, lyrics, and a few links if you want a deeper dive.
- BC
GREAT BIG WAREHOUSE IN THE SKY
from Pétur Ben
This is a big day for me. Today I’m releasing my first single in 11 years. If you would have told me that 11 years ago I wouldn’t believe it. But it really has been that long.
In 2016 I stumbled on a documentary on YouTube about Cxema. Young Ukrainians throwing illegal rave parties in the middle of the Maidan uprising. I was touched by their strength and their ability to live, love and party during these devastating acts of hatred. This is before the actual war broke out. I felt a kinship with these people. They reminded me of my friends. I realized this could happen to any nation and started writing words from their perspective. I’ve played this song with my friends numerous times. After events escalated into the full-blown war, that is sadly still going on, I played a benefit show with Ukrainians that came to Iceland to raise awareness of their situation.
They call themselves Musicians Defend Ukraine. Wonderfully talented, creative and cool musicians and artists of all genres. Talking to them was heart-breaking. The only reason the men in the group weren’t fighting in the war was music and their message. This cry for help. They had all lost people they cared about. I felt the hate they have in their hearts. It’s impossible for us to understand what it feels like to live through something like this. We, the rest of the world, are helpless in the face of these soul-crushing news. Both the war in Ukraine and now also the genocide that is happening in Palestine.
I’m incredibly grateful for the help I got from my friends. These people are Birgir Jón Birgisson, Pieter Theuns, Emiliana Torrini, Tina Dickow, Helgi Jónsson, Marketa Irglova, Míó Thorisson, Jon Birdsong, Jón Frímannsson, Bart Vroomen, Glenn Schick and Magnús Trygvason Elíassen. These magical beings lent their talents and experience to this song with love, generosity and support. I also had kind guidance from Mugison who has always been my wisest and strongest confidante. Without them this song wouldn’t have seen the light of day.
I hope this song can touch the humanity in those that will hear it and maybe help the people from these countries see that they are loved, heard and to some microscopic extent understood. Let’s hope the world becomes “aware” of its own insanity and “wakes up”.
Love, peace and unity,
LYRICS
We get our bangin’ outfits all dirt cheap
The flea market at Verbova Street
I like dressing for the future that
does not exist, we imagine it
The streets are decorated warzone style
barbed wire, concrete and stacks of tires
sometimes I think about the times before
the old cafes and the super store
We get our rush where they can never win
a warehouse down by the old steel mill
Our kickdrums echo on the riverside
dance ’til dawn, feeling unified
But tonight we’re gonna party
We’ll be dancing
We’ll be tripping
through the night
And then our spirits will be lifted
to the great big secret warehouse
In the sky
And if the bullets finally get me
I’ll be dancing
I’ll be tripping through the night
And then my party will be lifted
to the great big secret warehouse
In the sky
We show our love with disobedience
live for now without consequence
No one anticipated that we’d fight
we do our worst to make things right
They’re fighting cannons with their flesh and bones
toy slingshots, sticks and stones
I lost my brother in the blast last year
Kill myself for not being there
But tonight we’re gonna party
We’ll be dancing
We’ll be tripping
through the night
And then our spirits will be lifted
to the great big secret warehouse
In the sky
And if the bullets finally get me
I’ll be dancing
I’ll be tripping through the night
And then my party will be lifted
to the great big secret warehouse
In the sky
NTS Radio