Pink Floyd reunited to record their first new track in 28 years, a song of protest against the Ukraine war. Hello, get up! includes David Gilmour and Nick Mason along with Floyd Guy Pratt longtime bassist and Nitin Sawhney on keyboards. But the song is built around a chorus of Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the band Boombox. Gilmour says the song is a show of “rage for a superpower invading a peaceful nation.” But it is also intended as a morale booster for the people of Ukraine and a call for “peace”. Work on the song began a few weeks ago, when Gilmour was featured on Khlyvnyuk’s Instagram account. The singer had published his footage in Kiev’s Sofiyskaya Square, fully armed and ready to fight the Russian invasion. In front of the camera, Khlyvnyuk sang The Red Viburnum In The Meadow, a protest song written during World War I that has become a rallying cry in Ukraine for the past six weeks. “I was impressed that, as it is a capella, one could turn it into a beautiful song,” Gilmour told BBC 6 Music’s Matt Everitt. Original members David Gilmour and Nick Mason with long-time bassist Floyd Guy Pratt and Nitin Sawhney on keyboards Coincidentally, Gilmour appeared live with BoomBox in 2015 at a theatrical concert in London for the Belarus Free Theater – and contacted Khlyvnyuk for permission. “I actually spoke to him from his hospital bed, where he had a fairly minor stab wound,” the star said. “It simply came to our notice then. “I played him some of the song on the phone and he gave me his blessing.” The song was released at midnight on Friday, with the proceeds being donated to humanitarian aid. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cae5TydPAxh/ The song is especially important for Gilmour, as his bride is the Ukrainian artist Janina Pedan. He told the BBC he had inspired the work of art for the single, which contains Ukraine’s national flower, the sunflower. “My bride told us the story of a woman at the beginning of this conflict, who gave sunflower seeds to Russian soldiers and said she hoped sunflowers would grow where they died.” The story goes on Gilmour said he found the “weakness of the West” in the face of Russian aggression “outrageous”, but said he supported the ongoing sanctions against the country. “It is a pity that the people who suffer the most are the ordinary people of Russia – but that is the way sanctions work. It helps to create discontent in this country, which we hope will one day bring about some sort of regime change.” Asked how he felt about the British government’s response to the crisis, he expressed frustration with the bureaucracy facing Ukrainian refugees seeking to settle here. “A lot of Europe says ‘welcome’ and so does ours [government] he says, “you have to log on to a computer and fill out forms.” “My view would be to open the doors and do some bureaucracy later. But the government does not seem to be following that mindset.” Roger Waters does not appear on the new recording – he left the band in 1985 and has only appeared with them occasionally since, such as at the Live 8 concert in 2005. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion, email [email protected]
