Kyiv Nightlife
Kyiv looks nothing like London during the Blitz. But one thing they do share in common is a determination to live life. I was only in Kyiv for two weeks, and I don’t remotely claim to fully know Kyiv nightlife, but here is some that I enjoyed.
I saw the ProEnglish Theatre of Kyiv’s final performance of “Once Upon a Time in Ukraine”, before they took the show on the road to the Prague Fringe Festival (set up by a Scotsman who got fed up with the costs and crowds of the Edinburgh Fringe).
The directors built the script around verbatim first-hand accounts of war victims and refugees in the early months of the war in 2022. It is a powerful piece of theatre that I highly recommend.
For more info, see their website here.
The ProEnglish Theatre’s performance of “Once Upon a Time in Ukraine”. The word chalked on the floor is “Children”. This word was written in huge leaders on the roof of a jam-packed theatre in Mariupol that was being used as an air raid shelter, when the Russian airforce obliterated it.
Over the weekend of 8-9 June, a missile destroyed an aaprtment building one block from here. But the theatre and its members are ok.
Before arriving in Kyiv I asked the “Expats in Kyiv” Facebook group where I can find good live music. Several people recommended Pepper’s Club. I saw that a band called Yurcash was playing, whom I had never heard of. Sure, why not? I was steered well.
Yurcash (video above) are a local institution, and Pepper’s was packed with fans aged 18-60. They speak and sing only in Ukrainian, so I only understood about 1 word in 4, but their sound reminded me of some of the great classic rock bands from the Cafe Saigon era in Leningrad, particularly DDT.
Several times between songs, the band called out “Slava Ukraini!” (“Glory to Ukraine!”), the crowd always enthusiastically responding “Heroiam Slava!” (“To the Heroes Glory!”). And their encore was this tribute to the troops — Americans and classic jazz enthusiasts will recognise the melody.
Placemat at Pepper’s Club
Jazz Wednesdays at Pepper’s Club
The Kyiv Opera House still puts on a full programme — the performance that night was Aida. Everywhere in Kyiv most nightlife finishes up by around 10:30 PM, as that’s when the air raids tend to get more intense. And a curfew is in effect from midnight to 5 AM. Operas are long, so performances here often start around 5 PM.
Sunduk Pub near the Maidan is another good live music venue, although not offering music every night like Pepper’s Club
If you spend any time at all in Kyiv you’re bound to get to know Mike Wilson, the larger-than-life Montanan at left there who retired here 6 years ago after falling in love with Ukraine during his first visit 20 years ago and coming several times thereafter. He’s currently seeking financing to set up a cowboy bar in Kyiv, which I agree will have a market here.
I met Mike at one of the networking events that happen 3-4 times a month in Kyiv. He saw me, said “I don’t know you, what’s your name?” and promptly started introducing me to fun and interesting people, both locals and ex-pats.
He then invited me to join him here at his weekly table at the Pepper Club, a venue which by then I already knew well and liked. Fun night!