British rock band Pink Floyd released their first new song in 28 years to support Ukraine on Friday, with proceeds from "Hey Hey Rise Up" going to relief organisations.
"I hope it will receive wide support and publicity. We want to raise funds for humanitarian charities and raise morale," said David Gilmour, the legendary band's guitarist, as he condemned the Russian invasion of its eastern neighbour.
Gilmour, who has a Ukrainian daughter-in-law and grandchildren, described his feeling as "the fury and the frustration of this vile act" in a statement on the band's website.
The track, recorded on March 30, involves original band member Nick Mason but not Roger Waters, who left in the 1980s.
The new single features a vocal performance by Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the Ukrainian band Boombox recorded in front of St Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.
Its title is taken from the last line of the protest song the Ukrainian sang, "The Red Viburnum in the Meadow," which was written during World War I.
Gilmour said that he was inspired not only by Khlyvnyuk's performance, which was recorded on social media, but also after hearing that the musician had stopped his United States tour to return to Ukraine to fight for his country.
He contacted the singer while he was recovering in hospital from a mortar shrapnel injury.
Pink Floyd, a psychedelic rock band formed in 1965, released prominent albums in the 70s like "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall." Their last album of original music was "The Division Bell" in 1994. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
