London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire to host Ukraine benefit show

Antytila have spoken to NME from the frontline of Kyiv, ahead of tonight’s benefit show for the war-torn country.Announced last week, the two-hour Concert For Ukraine will take place in Birmingham tonight (March 29) in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee‘s (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. The concert will be televised on ITV and will see performances from the likes of Manic Street Preachers, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Paloma Faith, Camila Cabello, Becky Hill, Anne Marie and Ed Sheeran.Sheeran in particular made headlines when one of Ukraine’s most popular bands, Antytila, posted a plea to the singer-songwriter to allow them to play the concert remotely from the frontline of Kyiv, where they are defending the capital against Russian invaders.Sheeran later responded by saying that “I love you, I stand with you” to all Ukrainians and that he “couldn’t wait” to check the band’s music out.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterThe Academy Award telecast will acknowledge “the people of Ukraine,” producer Will Packer told Variety on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday.Packer was answering a question about whether Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will appear on the show, something co-host Amy Schumer said she’d advocated to happen.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy opened up about why he is back in Europe after fleeing the continent when Russia began its invasion of his homeland Ukraine. The Dancing with the Stars pro, 42, revealed to Good Morning America on Wednesday (March 23) that he is now stationed in Poland to assist refugees of the horrific war after being overcome with guilt for escaping and not staying to help. “I feel guilty. I feel bad. I feel shame. I feel upset,” Maksim explained on the morning show.

Arcade Fire and David Byrne covered Plastic Ono Band‘s protest song ‘Give Peace A Chance’ at the final night of four Ukraine benefit gigs in New York City.The Canadian band were joined by the legendary soloist and former Talking Heads frontman for the rendition of John Lennon and Plastic Ono Band’s 1969 single last night (March 21) at Bowery Ballroom.The performance wrapped Arcade Fire’s stint at the NYC venue that has raised money for the Plus1 Ukraine Relief Fund. Initially, the band announced a last-minute show at the Ballroom on Friday (March 18), saying that attendees could pay what they could afford.But more spontaneous pay-what-you-feel shows followed over the weekend into last night’s gig, at which Byrne made a special appearance as well as actor Mike Myers.A post shared by instatam (@tammietam)Myers made a political speech ahead of the encore, which saw Arcade Fire play ‘Wake Up’ and the unreleased ‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’ from their forthcoming album ‘WE‘.“You can have the government you want, but once you lose democracy, you are fucked.

LL Cool J, the host of the iHeartRadio Music Awards, took time to send love to Ukraine amid the show Tuesday night. "Before we continue, I want to send love and support to the people of Ukraine," LL Cool J said following the announcement of the first two sets of awards. "Our prayers are with the innocent people who have lost their lives as the result of this terrible war and with the Ukrainian citizens.They are all living through this crisis every day and I think it's very important that we send our prayers and our love to them and let them know that we stand with them.

Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have never let their political parties stop them from working together — and the two former presidents have once again joined forces to support Ukraine. Bill and George, both 75, made a joint appearance at a Ukrainian church in Chicago, IL on Wednesday, March 16. The Windy City (a nickname for Chicago) is notably known to have one of the largest Ukrainian populations in the United States and has been a “sister city” to Kyiv since 1991.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterSteven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw have donated $1 million to support humanitarian relief in Ukraine following Russia’s unprovoked invasion.Through their philanthropy Hearthland Foundation, Spielberg and Capshaw have allocated the money to several organizations in and near Ukraine, including the Polish Red Cross, Polish Humanitarian Action, World Central Kitchen, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Urgent Action Fund.After Russia’s attack on Ukraine displaced more than a million refugees, Hollywood heavyweights have committed to raising funds and awareness to help those in need. Earlier this month, Mila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $30 million to go toward relief efforts that help Ukrainian families.

Lisa Buck was horrified by the news that Ukranian volunteer Anastasiia Yalanskaya, 26, had been killed after dropping off dog food to a shelter. But rather than put her off, the Norfolk animal lover instead took action…. “It was hearing on the news about desperate people in Ukraine running back to their animals and getting shot that made me stand up from the sofa one night, turn to my husband Bill, and say ‘I have to do something’.

Concert For Ukraine is due to air on Tuesday, March 29 in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee‘s (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.Additionally, all sponsorship and advertising revenue generated from the broadcast of the event – which is expected to raise over £3million – will be donated by ITV to the DEC fund.Per a press release, the concert will “bring together names from the world of music for a unique event spreading a message of hope and support” with those caught up in the conflict.A line-up of participating artists and presenters is expected to be revealed in the coming days.

The government has officially launched its Homes for Ukraine scheme, which will see families across the UK host Ukrainians who have fled the country.

Arcade Fire‘s last-minute Ukraine benefit concert in New Orleans last night (March 14), showing the band performing two unreleased tracks.Taking place at Toulouse Theatre, all proceeds from the “pay-what-you-can” gig will benefit the Plus1 Ukraine relief fund, which is supporting Ukrainian people through non-profits providing humanitarian aid as Russia’s invasion of the country continues.The gig was live-streamed via TikTok and Instagram, and snippets from that recording sees the band performing ‘Lightning I, II’, a song they recently revealed would be released this Thursday (March 17).The band also performed a second unreleased track, ‘Age of Anxiety’. The song borrows elements from ‘Memories of the Age of Anxiety’, a 45-minute instrumental ambient track they released for a meditation app last year.

Elon Musk is looking to throw down with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Tesla co-founder, 50, challenged Putin, 69, to a one-on-one fight amidst Russia’s tragic invasion of Ukraine. “I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat,” Elon wrote on Twitter March 14. “Stakes are Ukraine,” he added. Elon wrote Putin’s name in Russian and Ukraine in Ukrainian.

Arcade Fire have announced a ‘pay what you can’ Ukraine benefit show in New Orleans, Louisiana today – see all the details below.The Canadian band will take to the stage at the city’s Toulouse Theatre venue tonight (March 14). Wristbands are available on the door from 10am local time (maximum one per customer).Per the official gig poster, “all proceeds benefit the Plus 1 Ukraine relief fund”.

Chris Willman Music WriterAs bombs continue to pummel Ukraine, musicians gathered in New York Thursday night to protest Russia’s war against the nation and raise funds for its defense. The Benefit for Ukraine at New York’s City Winery assembled a lineup of mostly local rock legends who “stand with Ukraine in the battle for its democracy and freedom.”The show was put together by headliner Gogol Bordello, New York’s beloved Slavic punk rock band, fronted by charismatic singer/guitarist Eugene Hütz.

Yegor Gordeev is host of Ukrainian TV morning show “Breaking with 1+1”, which has continued to broadcast from Kyiv as Russian forces assault the city.

Hayden Panettiere is starting a relief fund for those fighting for Ukraine.