“You look around and no one seems concerned, and there’s an explosive drone somewhere over town”: Silent Planet, the first American band to play Ukraine during the Russian war

The band Silent Planet in 2024.

When Silent Planet unveiled the routing for their summer 2026 European tour, fans were shocked to see dates in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Lviv set for June 20 and 21. The Cali metalcore band were going to become the first American musicians to play the war-torn country since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022: an endeavour so seemingly dangerous that no touring van company let them hire a vehicle. Now home following the trek, singer Garrett Russell sits down with Hammer to talk about what it was like – and why he thinks more artists should follow suit.