Cherepanov: Building Ukraine’s Underground — From Post-Punk Stages to Afterparty Philosophy

Cherepanov is a Ukrainian guitarist, songwriter, and one of the key figures in Kyiv’s alternative underground scene — a musician who doesn’t just play music, but builds an entire ecosystem around it. From early inspiration Pet Shop Boys to founding bands, organizing concerts for international acts, and running the iconic Kyiv based art-space “Tepliy Lampoviy,” his journey reflects a deep commitment to creative freedom and community.

As a member of Spokusy and Aghiazma, and the mind behind numerous cultural initiatives, he continues to shape the sound and spirit of a new Ukrainian wave — raw, emotional, and unapologetically independent. In this interview, Cherepanov speaks about his musical beginnings, balancing multiple projects, creating during wartime, and why his entire creative path can be summed up in one word: afterparty.

Interviewer: Tell us about the beginning of your musical journey. Why did you choose the guitar?

Cherepanov: Around the age of 8, I fell in love with Pet Shop Boys — they opened up the whole world of music for me. I realized that these sounds could give me so many emotions: they could calm me down, inspire me, fill me with joy and a sense of magic.

Later, I discovered different genres — heavier music, gothic aesthetics — and I felt this urge to create my own songs. I started learning acoustic guitar, and later electric guitar. I understood pretty early on that I wasn’t much of a singer, so I started looking for a vocalist to collaborate with. That’s how my first band, GrimFaith, was born — and it became quite a notable act in early 2000s Ukraine during the rise of the gothic subculture.

I’m really happy that guitar is part of my life. It allows me to express my ideas both as a musician and as a lyricist/poet. I genuinely enjoy every part of the process.

Interviewer: You are a guitarist in two projects — Spokusy and Aghiazma. How difficult is it to balance them, and what’s behind their names?

Cherepanov: Aghiazma is currently on pause because the band members are scattered around the world. But I have amazing memories — reaching the semi-finals of the national selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2017, touring across Ukraine, collaborating with Super Sus, and playing festivals like Faine Misto, Zakhidfest, SkhidRock, Respublika, and others.

We agreed that we’ll reunite to celebrate Victory — we’ll play all those songs again and relive those moments.

SPOKUSY is my current band. We create the kind of music we loved as kids: new wave, post-punk — rhythmic, structured, melodic songs with deeply emotional vocals and abstract, sometimes strange lyrics.

We’re growing fast, enjoying each other’s company, raising money to support the army, performing live, experimenting — it’s pure pleasure.

Interviewer: Tell us about your gothic Valentine's party. What does preparation look like during the full-scale war in Ukraine? How do you adapt?

Cherepanov: Yes, we had a show on February 14th — a gothic Valentine’s party.

It’s definitely harder now to gather everyone for rehearsals. Everyone has their own schedules, and our drummer is in the military, so he can be sent to different cities at any time.

There are also issues with rehearsal spaces — not all of them have generators or availability. Sometimes we rehearse in a club, but that gets expensive.

So we’ve adapted: we do more studio work now, rehearse less often, focus more on writing new material, and we’ve started filming a new music video.

Interviewer: Which Spokusy song is most meaningful to you? Why?

Cherepanov: My favorite is “Zhyvu v Momenti” (ed. “I Live in the Moment”).

I think it expresses my worldview best. It helps me see life differently — to enjoy not only the good experiences but also the challenges.

I try to treat life like a game: live one day at a time, not deny myself joy, do something meaningful every day, overcome laziness, and resist the urge to hide from the world.

Interviewer: Couple months ago, Spokusy released a new music video for “Happy Chas.” What was the filming process like? What comes easy, and what frustrates you the most?

Cherepanov: We filmed it during the summer at the FanCon festival — a comics and pop culture event where I actually organize the music stage.

It was an amazing large-scale event. We performed, hung out, enjoyed the vibe — and filmed everything along the way.

We captured the band’s live performance and also filmed Alex, our vocalist, walking around the festival interacting with people in crazy costumes.

Our friend Antony Aftermidnight handled directing and cinematography — he really vibed with us and created a great video. Editing was done by High Vision, and color grading by Andriy Korotych.

This video came together very naturally — the festival itself gave us so much great material.

On the downside, we’ve had experiences where we spent days shooting a video and ended up with something we didn’t like at all. That’s why it’s crucial to make sure you trust the people you work with from the start.

Interviewer: Tell us about another side of your creative life — “Tepliy Lampoviy.” What is your role and its mission?

Cherepanov: Organizing concerts and running the club is both my job and my passion. It was a dream we built step by step.

At 18, I started gaining experience bringing international metal bands to Ukraine — we worked on shows for Behemoth, Vader, Dark Funeral, and Cannibal Corpse. Later, I founded my own concert agency Kyiv Kills. We organized events across different venues, built a name in the scene, met incredible people, and eventually realized we were ready to open our own space.

For the past 9 years, we’ve been based near Arsenalna metro station with our art club “Tepliy Lampoviy.”

It has become an important place for Kyiv’s underground scene. We’ve hosted countless events and brought in artists like Lord of the Lost, Clan of Xymox, Rome and many more.

Our mission is to support Ukrainian alternative culture, give a platform to emerging artists, and — especially now — hold regular charity events to support the army.

Interviewer: What projects are you working on right now?

Cherepanov: We’ve joined a major charity initiative for prosthetics — it’s my father’s idea, and it’s gaining momentum. It’s incredibly important support for people who have lost limbs in the war.

Interviewer: How has the Ukrainian music scene changed during the war? What trends have you noticed?

Cherepanov: Ukrainian artists now have a real opportunity to be heard. There’s more focus on local music and emerging talent.

At the same time, there’s sometimes an overemphasis on patriotic themes — which is understandable — but I’d love to see more sincere music, real emotions and personal struggles in the media space.

There are many incredibly talented new artists — authentic, free, without limitations. Once they refine their craft, they’ll take their place in the scene. I’m lucky to witness this and be inspired by them.

Interviewer: If you had to describe your creative journey with one word, what would it be?

Cherepanov: Afterparty. For me, it has multiple meanings: it’s a reward after creative victories, a continuous flow of emotions, experiences, connections, and ultimately — creative catharsis.

All the best and most inspiring things happen there — in the celebration of success.

Interviewer: What is your mission as a member of a post-punk band?

Cherepanov: To create honest, emotional music that comes naturally — without expectations, trends, or pressure from the audience. We exist to explore new forms, experiment, enjoy the process, give fellow musicians space to express themselves, create an inspiring environment, surprise listeners, collaborate, perform in unexpected ways, and share our vision with people who feel the same. And someday, we’ll definitely meet all of them — at one of the afterparties.

The interview was written by Asya Radko. Pictures were provided by Igor Cherepanov