Winter Mass: Offerings for Gods of Ukrainian Underground

The seventh annual festival of Ukrainian stoner/psychedelic/doom/sludge/progressive/experimental collectives – Winter Mass VII took place in Kyiv on January, 25. Let us tell you how it was.

I have always considered myself a fan of those British/American/European rock bands for one simple reason of being lucky enough to grow up listening to their music. That situation existed for quite some time, until I, carefully at first, and then boldly and deeply, dove headfirst into Ukrainian alternative music. This January, I got luck to visit Winter Mass VII, a festival for Ukrainian underground music, organized by Igor Sydorenko (Stoned Jesus) and an independent label InshaMuzyka at the MonteRay club in Kyiv. 

Firstly, it is worth mentioning that "The Mass" is without doubts one of the most significant festivals of such diverse underground focus in Ukraine. There are a number of festivals which, with rare exceptions, have such a square line-up that while standing in front that outdoor stage you can see with your own eyes pigeons` poop turning into vanilla-strawberry ice cream on the fly. If you, like me, are worried about seeing some – I have to beg pardon – "antytila" or "latex clones" – forget your worries for "The Mass" is not about that. Winter Mass has everything you love: uncompromising attitude, meaty sound, boldness, expression, guitar witchcraft and a little romance, so you won't be disappointed. Well, except that it`s a one-day event and it`s too short to get your fill. Be that as it may, the genre variety of "Winter Mass" – progressive / stoner / doom / sludge – is the first reason we are glad that this festival is existing and should continue to exist further on.

There is no doubt – and this is the second ace on the sleeve of Winter Mass – that for bands that have just begun their journey, the festival is a brilliant opportunity to make a statement (like announcing the release of a record if one is scheduled), and for the audience, in turn, – to dig into new bands, making sure that we are all good with the variety of underground music and there is plenty to be surprised about. For those bands already on board for some time, the festival is an opportunity to check in.

Lets speak about line-up. Those were Dreadnought in the Pond, a band from Ternopil who led the way to the "Winter Mass VII". The band has several releases under the belt, but only one of them is a full-fledged LP. The odd thing is that, despite being only a three-piece and creating merely a psychedelic-noise suite without an orchestra, gripping everyone`s attention from the very start as if nothing else in the world existed for that half an hour, – the odd thing is that such a band has had so few releases, doing them with such big breaks. Not odd though. Snobs may say that nobody needs niche music in Ukraine, and those same snobs give up the idea of becoming rock stars – because it's not really that romantic, as it was in the sixties` America, but rather a cold, hungry and unprofitable affair. Those still eager to do something tend to do it on their own. And, as the Dreadnought guys themselves said in an interview for one of the resources, they "got used to doing it on their own.

Фото kirai gigs

Standing there, dolefully reflecting on the state of the alternative scene, I had my reflections interrupted by ZFeelZ, only to top up to my melancholy, but with that of a different kind. ZFeelZ, as many might already know, are last year's Kyiv debutants who won the School Bands Battle. Although the young age of the band certainly affects the way they interact with the public – lack of confidence and experience – they still have charisma, sounding melancholic, poignant, a little bold and lyrical at the same time. The only band at "The Mass" that one could dance to. 

Фото kirai gigs

Coming on stage after ZFeelZ, the indie-rock band Yah sounded equally bold. Yah could be the perfect soundtrack for a teenage melancholy, being a band that is nice to listen to in the spring or autumn rain, pouring unabated in a bustling city. Nice to listen to, but hard to remember. There were plenty of fans in front of the stage though.

Фото kirai gigs

Doomed City have overwhelmed us from the very start of their set by their "Poetry of Simple Things" (the name of the band`s first LP). Doomed City are the ex-5R6 as one might know. Reforming 5R6, the band changed and simplified their sound at the same time, moving towards a more aggressive and alternative attitude. It is always difficult to classify the style of the band, and why do it, if you just enjoy listening – which is most important? Besides, one won`t do it in the year 2020 when there`s so much genre-blending through and through that, on the one hand, you don`t know whether it`s a blessing or a curse, and on the other – such a merging gives more opportunities to performers who are too glad to go beyond any existing limits. With the name, Doomed City, being a perfect match with their sound, the band conveys that gloomy, aggressive and as-if-there`s-no-tomorrow attitude.

Фото kirai gigs

Why not come to the capital from Kharkiv to listen to the band from Kharkiv? Far as La Horsa Bianca are concerned, they play as if the British prog rock and the seventies have set in. Apparel, instruments (flute, synths and a dozen of electro-organs) as well as shamanic dances done by the keyboardist Olga Ksendzovska, could not but evoke associations with Jethro Tull and the British prog scene in its heyday. By the way, Olga is, in addition to being a skillful keyboard player, a singer and a theater actress. La Horsa have counted teo releases, but they have played mostly from "Oneiric Numeric" which is their latest album. They prefer instrumental music for it doesn`t set any limits to their expression. Still we heard two  vocal compositions.

Фото Androsova

Speaking of the Somali Yacht Club, the band was the zest of the fest. Concerning the fact that by the end of the evening, there was not an inch of the room to move, one can definitely say that everybody obviously came to listen to the Lviv three-piece. Three (!) guys on stage unashamedly captivated the entire audience and set the joint afire with all of their slow, pulsing rhythms, hooky, ecstatic and thick riffs. As well as "Loom", "84 Days" and "Vero" from the previous records, we also heard a new song from Lviv trio. An encore they gave us was "Better Keep Falling". There is nothing to add here except that the Somali guys have become simply legit headliners of Winter Mass.

Фото kirai gigs

With this festival being a platform for underground music that does not outgrow us the status of the so-called niche music, I would like to talk about this sad for Ukrainian performers word "niche". We have so-called niche bands supporting themselves at their own expense, and they play mostly in small clubs for a bunch of fans. This situation is strikingly different from what we see on the American and the European scene where there are charts, rotations, and awards. After all, there is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (though Madonna and ABBA got there before Nirvana, but that's another story). We ourselves are breaking that infamous mountain, and the maximum we have is a dozen of music labels and thematic festivals organized by a bunch of desperate guys, with not all of those festivals surviving. Another mention would be Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls), who once made something quite unacceptable in terms of the music industry and labels, but surprisingly life-saving for the artist. She released an LP at the so-called crowdfunding platform, supported by donations from her fans. However, again, compared to Europe and America, we have different ideas about how much to invest in our cultural leisure and how much we can afford to spend, say, on merch. Those fragile underground newborn bands, praying for Napalm Records, with few exceptions, cannot always survive the storm, so we have that counter-cultural music imbued with melancholy through and through. 

Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stranger, according to the classic, but it's not an option to show off your strangeness in front of the almost invisible fans in the half-empty clubs and on Bandcamp till the bitter end. On the other hand, does underground have to go beyond underground, and who will then remain the underground if the underground ends? How, to create a commercially successful product, while not losing that original counter-cultural spirit of romance, how to make it that we still have bands like White Ward, H.Soror, Krobak, bands from Kharkiv like City of Me, SOOM (already reposed in the Lord), Chainsaw Jack and plenty of others? One way or the other, it would be desirable that underground festivals and everything that could bring Ukrainian music to a decent level continue to exist. And so we thank gods, or anyone looking up at us from above (or from the underground?) for that we still have the Winter Mass.  

Cover — kirai gigs