A Ukrainian punk trio separated by Russia’s war are due to reunite as a band for the first time in more than a year to play a European tour.
After releasing their debut album earlier in 2023, while living thousands of miles apart, Death Pill have announced the Over My Dead Body shows in Ukraine, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK in May and June.
The band – Mariana Navrotskaya, Anastasiia Khomenko and Nataliia Seryakova – were separated after Russia’s war on Ukraine began in February 2022; Nataliia moved temporarily to Australia for work, Mariana stayed in Kyiv, and Anastasiia made the difficult decision to take her young son to safety in Spain, leaving her husband behind.
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Now, Nataliia and Anastasiia are set to return home for the Kyiv show, which kicks off the tour on 20 May.
“For me, not playing is almost like not living and I’m very excited about the opportunity to get together, go on tour, see new places, and meet new people,” Anastasiia told Sky News. “It should be a very exciting journey.”
While she is also excited about the shows, Mariana said she cannot feel true happiness about the band’s return after everything that has happened to their country.
“[My feelings] are very mixed,” she said. “I know it is impossible to feel the current situation as fully as we feel it, but try to imagine this: we are going on our first tour, to follow our long-awaited and cherished dream, we are playing for the first time in Europe and in the UK – actually, it’s my first time going abroad. It was a dream of mine.
“But I absolutely do not feel ‘happiness’ inside. I am excited but I feel anxiety and devastation, I feel an internal struggle; the dream of my life comes true right in the midst of a horrible bloody f****** war.
“All my endless ambitions, all my emotions and feelings, all my joys and all my pain – Death Pill. This is the most honest and sincere thing I have. Nataliia and Anastasiia, they are literally sisters to me; sisters by blood, sisters by spirit. We’ll all be together for a month, and right now it sounds as sweet to me as it can be.”
‘Exciting doom’
Nataliia said she has only started addressing her feelings properly in the past few days after months of not allowing herself to be anything but strong.
“I didn’t allow myself to be sad, or sick, or poor, or weak during my whole life and even more so in the last year, because in my opinion it prohibits moving forward,” she said. “I have just started to think more about my honest feelings a few days ago and I can’t describe it properly. It is new for me.
“I was very focused on preparations for the tour over the last four months – bookings, advertising, merchandise, home rehearsals, flights etc – and just now, when the date of my flight home is in 10 days, I realise that most of all I want to see my parents alive, to see the girls from the band and to try to catch the feeling that I am at home.
“But I realise it is only for one month and after that we all will be separated again. [It’s a] strange new feeling – exciting doom. Our nation has been handling it for the last few years, I hope I can handle it too.”
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Death Pill’s self-titled debut album won praise from critics – described as “a record of staggering musicianship fuelled by an untamed fury” by The Line Of Best Fit and “a face-toasting listen” by the Guardian, while Metal Hammer called it “one of the best crossover albums of the modern era”.
The put the album out against all the odds on 24 February this year, marking the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
While Anastasiia was able to practise with Mariana during a visit to Ukraine to see family, their in-person rehearsal two days before the Kyiv show will be the first time all three women get to see each other, and play music together, since they were separated.
“I am rehearsing with my computer,” Nataliia said. “Sad but true – Guitar Pro replaced my girls for this year. I miss them.”
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“In Barcelona, I go to a studio where I play solo,” Anastasiia said. “I have our records to play to, a metronome. Of course, it’s not as cool and productive as when you play with a band. But you have time to hone your game more.”
“Each of us regularly rehearses a concert programme solo, under a metronome and MIDI (digital) drums from Guitar Pro,” Mariana added. “Of course, a solo rehearsal will never replace a rehearsal with a group, but in our case it is impossible.
“We put [so much] effort to make this tour happen against the backdrop of this waking nightmare – and I will take full advantage of this tour.”
Death Pill play The Crown Bar in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 20 May, with shows in Bradford, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton and London in June
