Mad Heads XL - History

History

Band called Mad Heads was formed in Kiev, Ukraine by Vadym Krasnooky. In Ukraine they enjoyed the status of a rock legend for many years, with 4 studio albums, good press, frequent TV appearances and constant live touring. They have also been acknowledged internationally, as a well-known band in the psychobilly scene across the world and #1 of the genre in the whole Eastern Europe.

In the beginning of 2004, the new project Mad Heads XL was born. The line up was doubled with the powerful brass section (trumpet, trombone, saxophone) and the music drifted in the direction of ska with a touch of swing and Ukrainian folk, becoming something that might come out of Manu Chao, Brian Setzer and Emir Kusturica jam session.

In March 2004 it was tested in the best live music clubs of Kiev, in April it appeared on top Ukrainian TV channels and in May the band came up the stage of the main Ukrainian music festival Tavria Games to perform for some 75 000 people (there was also a live broadcast on M1 – the main Ukrainian music TV channel). That show brought the band to 9 more big open air stages in the next few months, with the audience varied from 5 000 to 100 000 (Day of Youth on the main Kiev's square, Maidan Nezalezhnosti), proving that Mad Heads XL could really entertain a huge audience. In September 2004 the band was invited to take part in Djuice-Drive tour (sport palaces in the 6 biggest cities of Ukraine). They were the only Ukrainian act on the bill with artists from Western Europe. They also got busy playing in the clubs.

They were among the first bands to support the people of Ukraine in the protest action, when the Orange Revolution started. They canceled any commercial gigs and performed for the people on now famous central square of Kiev Maidan Nezalezhnosti, giving away their new song for the compilation "Orange Songs of Ukrainian Revolution" which featured some of the best Ukrainian acts and artists, and the profit of which had been transferred to the inhabitants of the protest camping. The band never thought of any promotion back then, but there probably was: their performance on Maidan was seen on CNN as well as on several European news channels.

In 2005 the band was on the road again and played plenty open air stages all over Ukraine. Mad Heads XL also appeared abroad, with a lot of success, at Rock for People 2005 festival in Czech Republic, not to mention a club tour of Russia. In September 2005 ZYX Music released maxi-CD “Nadiya Yea” in Germany, but the main events with this song were happening in the homeland. The album “Nadiya Yea” was released in the end of October on Comp Music/EMI, so far in Ukraine only, soon proving to be among the bestselling local releases of the year 2005.During 2004–2005 years the band had several line-up changes.

Beyond Europe, Mad Heads XL have performed at Ukrainian festivals in Toronto, Canada in 2010, and Dauphin, Manitoba in 2011. Commanding a strong fan base in the Ukrainian-Canadian community, they returned to Toronto again in January 2012 performing material from their new album УкраїнSKA at a zabava on one night and the "Royal Malanka" the following night. For both events, Mad Heads XL were joined onstage by Ukrainian violinist Vasyl Popadiuk (aka "Papa Duke"). Local Ukrainian-Canadian music groups, "Zapovid" and "Hudi a Mocni" opened their shows.