Death Pill: Ukrainian punk band's UK tour a symbol of freedom

Death Pill are made up of (l-r) Natalya Seryakova, bass, Anastasiya Khomenko, drums, and Mariana Navrotskaya, guitar and lead vocals

An all-female Ukrainian punk rock band who were separated by war have reunited to embark on their first ever UK tour.

The three members of Death Pill were forced apart after Russia invaded their country, with their bassist moving to Australia and drummer heading to Spain.

The band, who recently reunited after a year apart for a gig in the Ukrainian capital, play Bradford on Friday night.

Singer Mariana Navrotskaya, who lives in Kyiv, says: "We want to show people how important it is to have freedom."

The band, who are also set to perform in Manchester, Bristol, Brighton and London, say their sound will "kick your ass with its honest emotions and powerful riffs".

"The main goal for this tour was first off for us all to see each other," Mariana says.

"It is not a regular tour with regular gigs, it an example of how strong our people are and that no-one can separate us completely."

Death Pill cite hardcore 80s US punk band Black Flag and, more recently, The Distillers as major influences

Formed in 2017, Death Pill say they were partly inspired by 'Riot Grrrl', an underground punk movement which started in the US and combines feminism, music, and politics.

In the run-up to their charity concert in Kyiv on 20 May, which raised money to help Ukraine buy anti-drone weapons, the trio were forced to rehearse over video calls.

"The only way we could practise was separately, I played to a click on a laptop with headphones - the wonders of technology," says bassist Natalya Seryakova.

"We rehearsed for the first time all together in the same room in Kyiv after more than a year and a half apart."

'Kill our culture'

Due to conscription limiting the number of Ukrainian bands able to tour outside of Ukraine, the band are flying the flag on behalf of Ukrainian rock music.

Mariana said: "We want to show how important is to have freedom, to have a choice, to have a home, to love and respect every moment of your life.

"I hope the audience will feel it and take something from the shows."

Death Pill released their debut album on 24 February - a year to the day from when Russia invaded Ukraine - through the London-based record label New Heavy Sounds.

The band, who can all speak Russian and Ukrainian, decided to change the language of the songs they had originally sung in Russian following the outbreak of war.

"We made this decision because Russia decided to invade our home and kill our culture," says Mariana.

"Until 2022 it was not a problem to speak Russian or Ukrainian in Ukraine, but after all what they did, and how they presented it, we don't want to have any connections with them any more."

Death Pill are performing at the 1 in 12 Club in Bradford on Friday.