Presented by Massey Hall
In association with Small World Music 

BALAKLAVA BLUES is a Ukrainian electro-folk-noir trio born on the barricades of the Revolution of Dignity. Equal parts tragedy and empowerment, purist tradition and genre-bending blasphemy - it's an outcry from a troubled soul fighting for freedom and life and sanity and hope. Thousand year old polyphony. Tribal war drums. Lived experience in revolution and war. And bass.

Falling somewhere between a traditional song cycle and a full blown multimedia electro-punk show, they fuse Ukrainian polyphony and other folk traditions with EDM, trip hop, dubstep, neoclassical and more as a launching pad to explore the seemingly never ending blues that have long emanated from the Ukrainian steppe.

Mark and Marichka met in Kyiv during the 2014 revolution of dignity and ever since have dedicated their creative energy to telling the stories of their home country to the world. Their experiences of war coupled with their unique knowledge of the polyphonic blues of the Ukrainian plains explodes into an intense live set with astounding vocals and tribal drums accompanied by equally compelling documentary footage from the front lines and stylized ethnic motifs that draw the audience into what it means to be Ukrainian today.

This is not measured musical diplomacy - BB are special forces on the cultural front of Ukraine and “a reclamation of violence perpetuated on my home country.”

The 2023 Small World Music Series is generously supported by TD Bank of Canada, the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.