Tour Dates

4/11 Portland, OR

4/13 Seattle, WA The Triple Door

4/15 Vancouver, BC Kay Meek Arts Centre

4/16 Mission, BC

4/18 Mount Vernon, WA Lincoln Theatre

4/20 Berkeley, CA Freight & Salvage

4/22 Arcata, CA

4/24 Lake Charles, LA Bulber Auditorium

4/25 Lafayette, LA Festival International

4/26 Lafayette, LA Festival International

Music can be so much more than what the superficial sounds are. It can also be coded (implied or very explicit) for any number of subversive or resisting movements, such as the rich double meaning that the enslaved African Americans wove into their spirituals. On a Thursday evening at The Dakota, Ukrainian band Yagódy displayed traditional folk music as something delightful to listen to and as a symbol of resistance for their war-torn nation.

Yagódy are a self-described theater and music group, reinterpreting Ukrainian folk music and traditional dress for modern audiences. Founder Zoriana Dybovska worked to find other performers, forming an initial band in 2016. Their debut, self-titled album was released in 2020 and was focused on those traditional Ukrainian, Serbian, and Bulgarian songs. Their first original song, Tsunamia, was the country’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 and placed fifth. They are currently in the middle of their 20-stop North American tour.

The band appeared as a quintet: three singers (with one on accordion), a bass guitarist and a drummer. The drummer translated for the introduction from one of the singers. The second song was impressive for the nature and bird noises in the introduction before the vocals began. While the singers were each impressive, the addition of bass and drums helped add to the rhythmic beat. The third song had great vocal solos, especially to end the song. This is aggressively danceable music, loud and pulsing. This drives forward and weirdly, wouldn’t be out of place at a dance club.

An extremely long interlude was translated into English to state that Ukraine has a rich tradition of a huge number of songs and is “backed by the data”. There are over 15,000 registered traditional Ukrainian folk songs, with the next nearest neighbor at around 6,000. They used that as a segue to say that they “dabble” in other countries’ music and indeed, our next song was a Polish one. This one was notable for its ever increasing tempo and was flying by the end. The next song was from Bulgaria, about “creepy old men chasing young girls”. The raucous beginning of the song made it clear why they enjoy performing this particular number, and again the combination of the underlying instruments with the dual, rapid vocal resulted in a surprisingly modern sound. That background in theatre shines through and helps add a layer of visual interest, with handclaps and a variety of dance styles.

We were given a quiz to decide where the next song originated from, and it certainly sounded different, including an almost spoken word section. (I had guessed Serbian, but it turned out to be Romanian.) This ended the first set, with the band stating we should rest up, because more energetic songs were coming.

After intermission, we started with a slower song, with a lover’s lament of young lovers who can not be together. This focused on the dual vocals and accordion (almost a drone sound at times) and was a solid way to draw the audience back in. The next statement, “we are so happy to be able to speak to you in Ukrainian” was a touching moment and led to a song that is their inspiration at a time when they are fighting for their survival. The song is for those who have lost their lives and those who continue to fight for an independent Ukraine. It was a sobering moment highlighting why Yagódy is touring and what they can do as artists to support their homeland.

The next song was “a hopeful one”, and the music turned back towards the higher energy sounds of the first set. Speaking in English for the first time, we were told the next song was “Ukrainian blues”, and that bass lick was certainly in the right vein. This one was pure fun and clearly, the performers were having fun. A rollicking accordion solo and some flute were a great flourish, and Yagódy were back in high gear, with some extremely fast paced singing. We were told the next few songs would be a “free for all”, encouraging the audience to let loose a little. (Side note: that’s not a Minnesotan strength.) A final thank you to the venue and the audience led into their final number. With a bow to the audience with the Ukrainian flag, the band stepped out for a moment before coming back with an encore. One last song and several thank yous later, Yagódy left the stage as proud musicians and Ukrainians.