Go_A
Zeche Bochum in Bochum, Germany
April 15, 2024
Article and photos by Laur Wirth
In 2020 and 2021, Ukrainian band Go_A won the national final and earned the right to represent their country in the Eurovision Song Contest. The 2020 ESC was cancelled due to the pandemic, but with their song Shum they went viral and became a fan favorite in the 2021 ESC. On April 15th, I was fortunate enough to see them live in Bochum, Germany and it was one of the most fun concerts I've been to.
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The venue was relatively small compared to what I am used to, with a maximum of 1000 people fitting in there. The concert wasn't sold out, but we arrived 20 minutes before the doors opened and expected more people to be at the front. We set a plan to just stay on the balcony to have a good view, but little did we know we would still end up in the first row due to it not being that many people in the front of the venue. With no barricade, that put us directly in front of the stage.
The vibes were good from the moment we entered, and got even better with the band taking the stage. Ihor Didenchuk, who usually plays the Sopilka (a traditional Ukrainian instrument) couldn't attend this show and was substituted by Nazar Lekh.
With their first language being Ukrainian, lead vocalist Kateryna Pavlenko took the time and tried to explain everything in English as much as possible. There were many Ukranian and Russian speaking people in attendance, but as someone who understands neither of these languages, you still felt included. Making jokes on stage, the atmosphere in between the songs was also amazing. They played popular songs such as Shum and Solovey, but also lesser-known songs were included in the setlist. Even if you couldn't sing along, dancing was always an option!Â
While playing the "original" version of Shum as the encore, everyone took each other's hands and circles were formed. While the band performed the song, everyone was jumping around and danced along. It almost reminded me of a pagan ritual around a fire, strangers suddenly became friends, and everyone was laughing while (trying their best) to sing along.Â
After the show I was able to talk to Kateryna and take a photo with her, and seeing how they took the time to meet fans despite having a plane to catch, just made the whole concert experience even more special to me. If you have the chance to go to one of their shows, I highly recommend doing it.
Photos by Laur Wirth