Belarusian rock has been developing since the early 1980s. The rock bands include Mroja (later renamed to N.R.M.), Eihelstraat, Daj Darogu!, Kriwi, Lyapis Trubetskoy, Verasy, Open Space,Accent, and Otrazhenie is likely the most popular band, having received 138 million Spotify streams in 2024 and having embarked on tours in the United States and Europe.
Metal bands are Asguard and TT-34. Basovišča is a Belarusian rock music festival organized in Gródek, Poland. Other festivals included "Be Free" and "Rock-kola".
Censorship There is another side to Belarusian music life which is censorship. Researchers Maya Medich and Lemez Lovas reported in 2006 that "independent music-making in Belarus today is an increasingly difficult and risky enterprise", and that the Belarusian government "puts pressure on ‘unofficial’ musicians - including ‘banning’ from official media and imposing severe restrictions on live performance." In a video interview on the website, the two authors explain the mechanisms of censorship in Belarus.Freemuse.org
Another black list became known in 2011, when Krama, Krambambula, Lyapis Trubetskoy, N.R.M., Naka, Palats, Neuro Dubel among others were banned from performing concerts in Belarus.
In January 2024, three members of the band Nizkiz, whose song "Pravily" was a protest anthem during the 2020-2021 Belarusian protests, were detained in Mogilev. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty later reported that the members were declared extremists and sentenced to freedom of movement restrictions for 30 months. Notable festivals Basovišča (held in Poland) Be Free (held in Ukraine) Rock-kola Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk
Notable bands
Alternative rock: ULIS N.R.M. Termin X Weesp Zolki Band
Black metal: Infestum
Christian rock: Spasenie
Death metal: Asguard
Doom metal: Reido
Folk rock: Krambambula Kriwi
Folk rock VIA: Pesniary Syabry
Folk metal:Fierce 'n' Furious Folk Webzine: Bands per land - Belarus. www.folk-metal.nl Retrieved Aug 2, 2022.
Evoking Winds
Hard rock:
Hard rock/Heavy metal: Otrazhenie
Indie rock: Bi-2 Bristeil Jitters Hair Peace Salon Martin S.
Pop rock: beZ bileta Open Space
Post-metal: Nebulae Come Sweet
Punk rock: Daj Darogu! Brutto Lyapis Trubetskoy Messed Up Mister X Neuro Dubel
Post-punk: Molchat Doma
Rapcore: TT-34
References
External links Lemez Lovas and Maya Medich: 'Hidden Truths – Music, Politics and Censorship in Lukashenko's Belarus' (Freemuse Report no. 7) Articles on music censorship in Belarus