The festival team chose the band Krapka;KOMA from the music catalogue created by the Ukrainian Institute to present Ukrainian performers abroad. Krapka;KOMA is an all-female electronic band from Lviv. Ira Lobanok and Aliona Kovalenko together produce and perform music on various instruments, creating a unique combination of trip-hop, nu-jazz, indie electronics, and soul. The band will perform on May 12th at the Zahara Club in Brighton, UK. 

Due to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the musicians are forced to volunteer and help temporarily displaced persons, but plan to perform abroad to support Ukrainian culture and the music scene to the fullest during these terrible times for our country. EXTRA SOUND programme partners-festivals support Ukraine during the war and do everything possible to ensure that Ukrainian musicians continue to pursue their vocation and represent the country in the world. We are grateful to the British Council and the people of the United Kingdom for their extraordinary support and assistance.

The Ukrainian Institute launched the EXTRA SOUND programme in 2020 to enable Ukrainian musicians to represent the country at key events in the international music industry. In 2022, the team of the Ukrainian Institute together with the British Council planned fully-fledged participation of Ukraine in the festival (holding a competition among musicians and selection of 3 bands, as well as music producers), but after Russia’s attack on Ukraine such a format became impossible. 

The Great Escape is a music conference and a showcase festival. Traditionally, the event brings together more than 15,000 key representatives of the music industry from around the world and promotes the further export of young performers, finding the right contacts and establishing cooperation between artists and music stakeholders.