- Year of foundation – 1990
- City – Minsk (Belarus)
- Language – Belarusian, Ukrainian, English
- Genre – punk rock, hardcore, ska
Lineup:
- Serhiy Mikhalok – vocals;
- Pavlo Bulatnikov – vocals, percussion;
- Ruslan Vladyko – guitar;
- Vlad Senkevych – French horn, trumpet, backing vocals;
- Oleksandr Storozhuk – drums;
- Denis Sturchenko – bass guitar;
- Ivan Galushko – trombone, backing vocals.
History of the band
Lyapis Trubetskoy (Lyapis Trubetskoy) is a Belarusian punk rock band founded in Minsk in 1990. In fact, the band's permanent leader, Sergei Mikhalok, as well as musicians Dmitry Svyrydovych, Ruslan Vladyko and Alexei Lyubavin, created the band back in 1989. And even with this lineup they took to the stage of the Belarusian festival "Three Colors". The debut brought the musicians the attention of their first fans. A year later, the band introduced itself to music fans under the name Lyapis Trubetskoy.
The name of the band Lyapis Trubetskoy comes from the name of a character in the novel by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov “12 Chairs”. Namely – Nikifor Lyapis, who had the pseudonym Trubetskoy.
In 1994, fate gave the band an important acquaintance with Yevgeny Kolmykov, who later became the general director of the band. Thanks to the experience of a professional and the ability to correctly build a promotion strategy, the band gradually began to receive its first serious fees. It was then that Lyapis Trubetskoy went on a concert tour, where they played live shows with the program “Conquest of Space”.
After the tour, a new wave of performances began. The musicians dreamed of recording a full-fledged album and, step by step, were approaching real recognition and star status.
Creative path
In 1995, Sergei Mikhalko's team was at the peak of popularity. After a large-scale performance at the Alternative Theater, a recording of the concert was created, which received the telling name "Love's Slipper". Only 100 live cassettes were released. The release was more of a cult than a commercial one.
1996 was a turning point for Lyapis Trubetskoy. The band's lineup expanded, and the musicians themselves were preparing for the release of a new album. The album "Wounded Heart" was presented on June 21 during the "music festival" in Minsk's Gorky Park. The release became a real sensation in Belarus. According to various estimates, its circulation reached from 20 to 30 thousand copies. Due to massive piracy, it is difficult to name the exact number. After all, literally everyone who had the opportunity published cassettes. However, it was definitely a real breakthrough.
The pinnacle of success for Lyapis Trubetskoy was the third ceremony of presenting the Belarusian music award "Rock Coronation-96". The band won three awards out of four possible - a real triumph on the national stage. In the same year, the band presented a concert recording of the program "Smaryotnae Vyaselle". And the songs "Kynula", "Shkoda, scho moryak" and "Lotchyk i vesna" quickly became real hits. The audience of fans was growing steadily. The popularity of the musicians went far beyond the borders of Belarus, attracting the attention of the press and TV channels.
Creative development of the group
In 1997, Lyapis Trubetskoy presented his first video for the song "Au". The non-standard video using plasticine animation and photos of the band members looked creative for its time. The following year, a new album called "Beauty" was released. Both critics and listeners positively assessed the release. Although they could not reach an agreement on the style of the tracks: the album turned out to be emotionally ambiguous and genre-variegated.
In 2000, a musical film was shot about the band. They also completed work on the next album "Tyazhky", released in collaboration with the Real Records label. Due to the sharp lyrics, many songs did not get into rotation on the radio. The songs did not receive prestigious places in the charts. However, this did not prevent the release from becoming commercially successful. Devoted fans stuck with the band, despite censorship and restrictions.
In the summer of 2001, the Lyapis Trubetskoy group presented a video clip for the track "Sochi", which quickly won the audience's favor. The single "Doves" also received no less popularity. In September, the world saw a new album called "Youth". The record became the most successful for the group since the album "Beauty".
In the following years, the group experienced many changes in members. However, it did not slow down the pace of creativity. In addition to concert activities, "Lyapis" actively participated in the creation of soundtracks. The group's music was heard in the TV series "Men Don't Cry" and in the film "The Last Slaughter", which gave the group even greater media recognition.
Ban on performances in Belarus and the breakup of the band
Starting in 2007, Lyapis Trubetskoy faced an official ban on performances in Belarus. The authorities did not approve of the band's outspoken social stance. And in 2014, after 24 years of existence, the band ceased its activities.
However, the musical history did not end there. As a result of the breakup, two new projects emerged: Trubetskoy, formed by some of the former members, and Brutto - a new band led by Lyapis Trubetskoy's leader Sergey Mikhalko. Both bands continued their creative work, each in their own style.
Resumption of concert activities
After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lyapis Trubetskoy returned to the stage. The band announced a charity tour of European countries. All concerts were aimed at supporting Ukraine.
In July of the same year, the band presented an updated version of the song “Warriors of Light”. This time in Ukrainian. The iconic track, which back in 2014 became the unofficial anthem of the Revolution of Dignity, received a new sound. The song was performed by Serhiy Mikhalok together with his son Makar, and a video clip for the updated composition appeared on the band’s YouTube channel. In November, Lyapis Trubetskoy also presented a Ukrainian-language version of another famous hit – the song “Harry”.
Social activism
The powerful charisma of the band's lead singer was evident not only in the music industry. Sergey Mikhalok openly condemned the actions of the Belarusian authorities and pointed out their illegitimacy. The band's leader Lyapis Trubetskoy has repeatedly emphasized his political position. Mikhalok emphasized that he and his bandmates had made a conscious choice a long time ago. They openly did not recognize the results of the presidential elections in their native country in 2010 and 2015, and later in 2020. The musicians embodied these beliefs not only in interviews, but also in their songs.
Back in 2014, Mikhalok actively spoke out in support of Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity. This position caused a wave of negative reactions and bans from the Russian and Belarusian authorities. The following year, the artist received Ukrainian citizenship, as well as a permanent residence permit. In 2020, Serhiy Mikhalko was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine. The band continues to support Ukraine today, organizing charity concerts in Europe, Canada, and the USA.
Awards and distinctions
- three crystal crowns at the 13th Rock Coronation ceremony ("Song of the Year" ("Stars"), "Album of the Year" ("Manifest"), and "Band of the Year");
- three RAMP awards (twice in the nomination "Clip of the Year", as well as "Band of the Year" (2009).
Interesting facts about the band:
- the only constant member of the band since its founding, besides Sergey Mikhalko, is guitarist Ruslan Vladyko;
- in 2002, Lyapis Trubetskoy took part in the Belarusian tribute to the Depeche Mode band, offering his own version of the song A Question of Time;
- in 2004-2005 the musicians recorded the anthem for the Minsk football club "Dynamo";
- translations of the group's hits into Ukrainian are created by Serhiy Zhadan.
