The Hardkiss Bring a Piece of Home to Cologne’s Ukrainian Community
In Ukraine, The Hardkiss are mainstream royalty: one of the country’s biggest and most influential rock bands, a household name that fills arenas and headlines its largest festivals. Abroad, they are steadily widening their reach through extensive touring.
In Cologne, the show was moved from the Carlswerk Victoria to the Gebäude 9, which holds roughly a third of the planned venue’s capacity. The 500 capacity room was sold out, with a mostly Ukrainian audience packed in tightly.
After Felin wrapped up their support set, the stage changeover went quickly. About twenty minutes later the lights dimmed and The Hardkiss walked out to a huge ovation. They opened strong and loud, and the crowd sang along from the first moments, sometimes turning into a full-throated scream-along at the joy of seeing a homeland band. The night was bilingual, both in the songs and in the banter between them, with English and Ukrainian mixed freely. The crowd skewed young, though some middle-aged fans were there too.
The sound was loud, perhaps a touch too loud for Gebäude 9, and at times the vocals had to fight the volume. The band’s support by the audience was enormous and their success was undeniable. The Hardkiss has a blend of rock, electronic and pop, with some quite heavy guitar riffs and a theatrical vocal delivery.
The Hardkiss:
Julia Sanina – Lead vocals, piano
Valeriy “Val” Bebko – Guitars, synthesizers, programming
Klym Lysiuk – Bass guitar, backing synths
Ievgen Kibeliev – Drums
Average Setlist 2026
Crush, AiAiAi, Tenderness, Korabli (Кораблі), Antarktyda (Антарктида), Complicity, Organ, Opera , 40 days 40 nights, Take Me To The Start, Kohanci (Коханці), Sestra (Сестра), Mayak (Маяк), Perfection, I Love You, PiBiP, Prirva / Zhuravli / Stones, Vse bulo tak (Все було так), Zoloto (Золото), Kobra (Кобра), Make-Up.
Accreditation: Concertteam NRW
