Slovenian industrial rock band Laibach are set to become the first foreign group to perform a full concert in Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion. They will give a concert titled Eurovision at the Bel Etage Music Hall on 31 March.

The British newspaper The Guardian writes that the title of the concert refers to the fact the Eurovision Song Contest, won by Ukraine in 2022, will not be hosted in the country this year, but rather Liverpool in the UK.

"While the rest of Europe prepares to celebrate its idea of freedom and solidarity on 9 May in Liverpool, Laibach is taking Eurovision back to Ukraine, where it belongs," Laibach said in a press release.

Ukraine is "where the only true and real vision of Europe is taking place right now", the band said, adding that the proceeds from the concert will be donated to charity.

Laibach told The Guardian they did not agree with the attitude that "while weapons speak, art is silent", noting that some of the most important works of art and musical pieces had been created during wartime.

The group performed two concerts in Sarajevo in 1995 when the city was besieged by Bosnian Serb forces during the Bosnian War. They were also the first Western band to perform in North Korea in 2015.

"We must not allow the cynicism of war, or cynicism of the strategic interests of capital to turn our lives completely into a state of emergency," the band was quoted as saying.

While in May 2022 Bono and the Edge from U2 played a short set in a Kyiv subway station, Laibach may be the first touring band to perform a whole concert in a traditional venue, The Guardian reported.