Rock music in Belarus

Censorship#

There is another side to Belarusian music life which is censorship. Researchers Maya Medich and Lemez Lovas reported in 2006 that “independent music-making in Belarus today is an increasingly difficult and risky enterprise”, and that the Belarusian government “puts pressure on ‘unofficial’ musicians - including ‘banning’ from official media and imposing severe restrictions on live performance.” In a video interview on the website, the two authors explain the mechanisms of censorship in Belarus. Another black list became known in 2011, when Krama, Krambambula, Lyapis Trubetskoy, N.R.M., Naka, Palats, Neuro Dubel among others were banned from performing concerts in Belarus. In January 2024, three members of the band Nizkiz, whose song “Pravily” was a protest anthem during the 2020-2021 Belarusian protests, were detained in Mogilev. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty later reported that the members were declared extremists and sentenced to freedom of movement restrictions for 30 months.

Notable festivals#

• Basovišča (held in Poland)
• Be Free (held in Ukraine)
• Rock-kola
• Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk

Notable bands#

Alternative rock: *ULIS *N.R.M. *Termin X *Weesp *Zolki Band Black metal: *Infestum Christian rock: * Spasenie Death metal: *Asguard Doom metal: *Reido Folk rock: *Krambambula *Kriwi Folk rock VIA: *Pesniary *Syabry Folk metal: * *Evoking Winds * * * * Hard rock: * Hard rock/Heavy metal: *Otrazhenie Indie rock: *Bi-2 *Bristeil *Jitters *Hair Peace Salon *Martin S. Pop rock: *beZ bileta *Open Space Post-metal: *Nebulae Come Sweet Punk rock: *Daj Darogu! *Brutto *Lyapis Trubetskoy *Messed Up *Mister X *Neuro Dubel Post-punk: *Molchat Doma Rapcore: *TT-34

External links#

• Lemez Lovas and Maya Medich: ‘Hidden Truths – Music, Politics and Censorship in Lukashenko’s Belarus’ (Freemuse Report no. 7)
• Articles on music censorship in Belarus