KRAMA defiant to stage concert on May 30 despite ban

The popular Belarusian band KRAMA has not yet received permission from the Minsk authorities for the launch of their new album “KRAMA”, but the musicians are defiant to play. The concert will take place on May 30 at the Night Star night club in Minsk.

This has been confirmed to the European Radio for Belarus by the band’s manager, Pavel Kashyryn.

Pavel Kashyryn: “We will stage the concert regardless of whether we are given this shameful paper or not.”

Kashyryn filed his application with the city department in charge of cultural events as far back as March 15. On April 25, officials neither approved nor denied permission and referred the band to a higher authority – the Ministry of Culture or the Office of the President.

Today, it looks like the band has determined the date and the venue of the concert.

Pavel Kashyryn: “We have found an art manager in that club who promised that everything would be okay. But if we had an official permit, we could freely advertise the event in metro and other places. For now, we are limited to Internet or sharing the news about the concert through friends.”

The club can accommodate 400 people. Pavel Kashyryn is confident this is enough in the current conditions in which the Belarusian rock-n-roll has to operate. Even if KRAMA is granted a one-off license for the concert, the guys will not change the venue of the launch.

The organizers are still hoping for the positive outcome of the meeting with Viktar Kurash, who is the chief of the culture department at then Minsk City Hall. The meeting is scheduled for 1500 on May 4.

Pavel Kashyryn: “Kurash said he personally had no problems with the band. I talked to him the day before yesterday. He had listened to the new album and we agreed to meet in order to sort out all the “misunderstandings”.

Pavel Kashyryn says that if they manage to get this permission, it will have an important meaning.

Pavel Kashyryn: “We will make a real breakthrough. Four or five years back, it would be not a big deal to get permission for a concert. Today, it will look like a small victory over the system.”

The victory is still far away. Pavel Kashyryn understands that.

Pavel Kashyryn: “Problems could emerge at any moment. The culture official could be pressed from the top. On the other hand, he realizes the consequences. That’s why I hope that everything will be okay.”

Photo by photo.bymedia.net