Ukrainian hardcore band Beton repurpose The Clash hit as 'Kyiv Calling'

Ukrainian punk band Beton have rerecorded The Clash's classic track 'London Calling' into 'Kyiv Calling' — transforming it into a protest anthem and call to arms against the invading Russian forces.

The trio gained the blessing of each surviving member of The Clash before changing the lyrics to fit the crisis.

"The Clash were one of our inspirations when we fell in love with punk rock and music in general, there is no snobbery or pretentiousness to the music, they had something to say and voiced their opinions against human anger," singer Andriy Zholob told NME. "‘London Calling’ epitomises all of that and we are very happy to be able to take this iconic classic and turn it into our own anthem with new meaning and life."

Ukrainian punk band Beton do Kyiv Callinghttps://t.co/5QrebSFq6y

— The Clash (@TheClash) March 20, 2022

The track was recorded on March 17th and 18th in Lviv, a city in Western Ukraine that has become a gathering place for displaced people across the country. The very same day, Russian missiles were fired at the civilian hub.

All proceeds from 'Kyiv Calling' will go towards the Free Ukraine Resistance Movement (FURM), a citizen-led organisation bolstering the Ukrainian defence.

"Kyiv calling to the faraway towns / Now war is declared and battle come down,” Zholob sings in the new version. "Kyiv calling to the whole world / Come out of neutrality, you boys and girls / Kyiv calling, now don’t look to us / Phony Putinmania has bitten the dust.”

"Many Ukrainian musicians are now on battlefields or in territorial defence," said Zholob to The Guardian. "They’ve changed guitars to guns. We hope this song shows Ukrainians’ spirit and our defiance to Russian aggression. We are glad it is going to be played around the world as a symbol of solidarity and hope."

Zholob and bandmates Bohdan Hrynko and Oleg Hula are examples of this — Zholob being an orthopaedic surgeon treating war victims and soldiers, with Hrynko and Hula members of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence. Before the attacks, Hrynko worked as an architect, and Hula co-owned a company that supplied lighting and sound equipment to music festivals.

The visuals for the track show footage shot by friends, family members, colleagues and volunteers that captures the recent attacks on cities across the country.

“We have no doubt about our victory, we are proud to be Ukrainians and feel the support from musicians abroad," Zholob commented. "This means so much!"

Watch the video for 'Kyiv Calling' below: