DakhaBrakha: The Sound of Ukraine Returns Home With ‘Ptakh’

DakhaBrakha was founded in 2004 as the musical component of Ukraine Mystical, a theatre project by director Vladyslav Troitskyi at Kyiv’s Dakh Center for Contemporary Arts. That experiment gave rise to the band’s distinctive “ethno-chaos” style – a combination of Ukrainian folk music with elements of minimalism, hip-hop, soul, and blues. Over more than two decades, the band has performed at major international festivals, including Glastonbury, Roskilde, WOMAD, WOMEX, and Sziget, becoming the only Ukrainian act to appear on the BBC’s Later… with Jools Holland. The musicians have toured Europe, the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia, and Australia.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Image via Andriy Petryna On the final day of September 2026, DakhaBrakha will begin a Ukrainian tour with Ptakh, the band’s first album in five years. The record features 14 compositions created at different times, most of them recorded in Kyiv in 2025. The tour begins on Sept. 30 in Bila Tserkva and will cover eight cities, including Kharkiv, where DakhaBrakha has not performed since 2022, as well as other cities closer to the front line. The tour will conclude with three Kyiv concerts on Oct. 16, 17, and 18 at the ICCM (October Palace). Other Topics of Interest Russia Pounds Kyiv Again With Ballistic Missiles Hours After Attacks Kill 2, Injure 26 The overnight attack damaged residential and non-residential buildings as Russia launched 155 missiles and drones at Ukraine in 14 hours. Alongside the new material, the musicians will perform some of the band’s best-known songs. DakhaBrakha will donate 100% of the revenue from its Ukrainian concerts to support Ukraine’s Defense Forces. Ahead of the tour, Kyiv Post spoke with DakhaBrakha frontman Marko Halanevych about Ptakh, Ukrainian cultural heritage, dialogue with international audiences, and his vision of a future Ukraine that will prevail. Kyiv Post: Ptakh (the Bird) is being released at a time when Ukraine has been living through a full-scale war for more than four years. What is the emotional state of this album, and how does it differ from your previous music?Marko Halanevych: The emotional state of this album is quite contradictory. There are compositions that are very different in both their structure and content. In the end, it brings together compositions created at different times, although most of them were recorded in Kyiv in 2025. It was important for us to record this album specifically in Ukraine and to show the whole world that, despite this terrible war, our country wants to live a full life. We are not only successfully defending ourselves, but also developing our culture, improving ourselves as individuals, and as a society.A bird is an image of freedom, movement, and distance, but also of fragility. What does this symbol mean to you today?Today, for us, the bird is more an image of hope. But, in the words of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, not the kind of hope that gives us confidence that everything will be fine, but the kind of hope that gives us a deep conviction that everything we do is not in vain. That is why we have to keep going and not give in to despair, no matter how difficult things are today.After performing on major international stages, you are returning to Ukrainian cities. What do you expect from meeting Ukrainian audiences this autumn?We know that this is necessary both for us and for our viewers and listeners. We have to sustain each other. We are glad that we will finally perform in Kharkiv, where we have not played since 2022. There will also be a couple of cities close to the front. There will be central and western regions. Each has its own particularities, but we look forward to all these encounters with the same emotion and anticipation. Image via Helen BozhkoDakhaBrakha has represented Ukraine on international stages for many years. How has the way international audiences perceive your music changed since 2022 – and particularly today?It seems to us that our audiences around the world clearly understand that our performances today are already far more than just music. We have to carry messages, provide information, and do everything we can to bring people to our side. To the side of light, goodness, truth, and justice. In fact, in the West, we often see people who are confused and bewildered, unprepared to face new challenges and a new threatening reality. They are frightened and bewildered. And the example of Ukrainians’ resilience is, for many of them, an incredible example of the strength of the human spirit.Since 2022, all your concerts in Ukraine have been charity events. Why is this important to you?Yes, essentially, all our concerts since 2022 have been charitable. The difference is that from our Ukrainian concerts, we donate exactly 100% of our income to the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Sales of CDs, records, merchandise, auctions – we want to use every opportunity to save the lives of our defenders and help them destroy the occupiers. And the military’s needs are constant.You combine Ukrainian folk traditions with contemporary music. How has the war affected your attitude toward Ukrainian cultural heritage?The war has shown us that all the achievements of our cultural heritage can be lost. There is a mad neighbor who wants to destroy you. And cultural markers are, if not at the very top of its priorities, certainly not second. Because culture makes us Ukrainian, and Ukrainians are fierce enemies of this “great-power” anti-humanist policy. So we are forced to stand our ground. Image via Olga ZakrevskaDakhaBrakha is often described as one of the musical voices of contemporary Ukraine around the world. What is most important for you to tell international audiences about Ukraine today?We want Ukraine to have as many friends in the world as possible. That is the maximum goal. At the same time, we speak about the fact that the civilized democratic world is facing a challenge today – challenges both within Western countries and from outside them. And it is extremely important for the entire democratic world that Ukraine remains on the map of the world, and that our example shows the whole world that acting as Putin and Russia do is unacceptable and catastrophic for the very initiators of aggression.What kind of Ukraine do you envision? What do you imagine its voice will sound like after the war?We dream of seeing our country free, strong, and governed by the rule of law. And we also want our country to inspire others and be an example of nobility, virtue, and justice.