Ukrainian band Antytila back Birmingham for Eurovision

A Ukrainian band who went viral after offering to perform alongside Ed Sheeran at a concert are backing Birmingham to host Eurovision.

Antytila are one of the country's most popular acts and attracted a whole new fanbase when they posted a TikTok video while clad in combat gear in Kyiv.

In it they asked to perform remotely at the Concert For Ukraine, hosted at the NEC outside Birmingham in March.

Now they are calling for the city to also play host to Eurovision.

Ukraine swept to success in the competition earlier this year with Kalush Orchestra, but due to the war, Eurovision organisers asked the UK, which came second, to host next year's event.

On Friday, Birmingham was named on a seven-city shortlist for the song contest, alongside Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.

"In Ukraine everyone knows Birmingham is a good city in the UK," Antytila lead singer Taras Topolia said.

"After we applied to Ed Sheeran, lots of people started to talk about Birmingham in Ukraine because [the video] became really viral."

In the original appeal from Kyiv, Topolia explained, "in peacetime, our concerts gather at stadiums", but now "we are fighting with weapons against the Russian occupiers".

Although Antytila were refused a slot at the Concert For Ukraine, they later teamed up with Sheeran to release new song 2step, partly filmed and recorded while they were serving in the war.

Since May, the music video has attracted more than 12 million views on Youtube.

Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward said there was "lots of cheering and shouting" in Victoria Square when the city was announced on the Eurovision shortlist earlier on Friday.

"A little bit later on we will sit down and have a look at what we have to do to get through the next stage," he added.

Mr Ward continued: "We are very much a city of immigration, a city that has welcomed the world, and we do that in style."

Adoptive Brummies Natalia Kogut and her 12-year-old daughter Melisa, who were forced to flee their home city of Kyiv, have also cheered on the news.

Mrs Kogut said: "We would be very happy if Eurovision could take place in Birmingham - the Ukrainian community is huge here."

Following the announcement, the city council invited a group of Ukrainian creatives to design Birmingham's Eurovision bid logo.

The workshop took place at the city's Council House with support from Centrala Space, a community-based organisation dedicated to promoting Central and Eastern European arts and culture.

"I am proud to live in a city that has been so supportive of me and my fellow Ukrainians," added Ilona Mandyradzhy, gallery assistant at Centrala Space.

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