Bastille singer Dan Smith has worn the colours of the Ukrainian flag to the 2022 NME Awards, saying that he felt ‘strange’ coming to the awards ceremony during Russia’s war on Ukraine.
While attending the star-studded event at O2 Academy Brixton in London on Wednesday evening, the musician donned a pin featuring blue and yellow, as well as a T-shirt showing with the colours of the flag in the shape of a heart.
Dan’s show of solidarity with Ukraine comes as Vladimir Putin’s forces intensify their attacks on cities including Kyiv and Kharkiv, amid explosions and violent clashes that have reportedly resulted in 2,000 civilians being killed.
While talking on the red carpet, Dan said: ‘Like everyone else, I have just been glued to the news and to Twitter for the last few days, for the last few weeks. Seeing what is happening in Ukraine unfurling is absolutely horrendous.’
For the latest updates on the Russia-Ukraine war, visit our live blog: Russia-Ukraine live
Speaking to PA news agency, he said that it felt ‘a bit strange’ coming to the NME Awards, which he said is ‘meant to be fun and celebratory about music’, adding: ‘It is innately quite frivolous.’
As he addressed why he chose to wear the pin in support of Ukraine, he said that it was ‘a way to show to anyone who is watching that we are massively thinking about everyone in Ukraine and doing everything we can to lend our support and try and fundraise for an absolutely horrendous situation that is completely unthinkable’.
Last night, video footage appeared to show a terrifying explosion in a Ukrainian city, as a mushroom-shaped cloud rose in the sky and shockwaves were sent through the air.
There was no suggestion that the blast was nuclear, although it was unclear what type of explosion it was.
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