Championing the punks taking on Putin

Kyiv Calling

Borkowski teamed up with the Free Ukrainian Resistance Movement (FRUM) and punk band Beton to galvanise support for their new version of The Clash’s iconic London Calling, with an accompanying music video featuring footage of ordinary Ukrainians’ resistance to the Russian invasion.

Story

The brief for Borkowski’s Arts & Culture team was to secure high-profile news and music media coverage that would highlight the FRUM cause.

To do so the team emphasised the harrowing but inspiring true stories depicted in the song and video, the incredible backstory of the band and their journey to record and release the track, and the cultural significance of the song choice and punk as the genre of resistance.


 

The story launched with an exclusive in The Observer and went global via Reuters and PA, gaining further in-depth feature coverage on the likes of NBC, ITV, Bloomberg and Sky News among over 1,000 items of media coverage that drove over 500k people to watch the music video in just 24 hours. International broadcast interviews included: CNN, Channel 5, Sveriges, Antena 3 and Rai 3.

Impact Highlights

Kyiv Calling: Ukrainian Punk Band Reinvent Clash Hit as ‘Anthem’ of Resistance

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'Kyiv Calling:' Ukrainian punk band makes The Clash classic an anti-Russia anthem

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Kyiv calling: famous Clash anthem reborn as call to arms

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Ukraine band adds new meaning to Clash hit with 'Kyiv Calling'

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Ukrainian Punk Band Rerecords the Clash Classic as ‘Kyiv Calling’: ‘A Symbol of Solidarity and Hope’

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500,000 views for music video in first 24 hours
13 global broadcast interviews
Highlights: Rolling Stone, Reuters, ITV, CNN, Bloomberg
Over 1,000 pieces of global coverage

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