Opposition Protesters in Ukraine Bolstered By Rock Music

Amid freezing temperatures, worsening hygiene in the protesters' sprawling tent city, and impenetrable political wrangling, opposition crowds are being bolstered by a radical diet of rock music.

Since they first requested protests on Independence Square 10 days ago, opposition leaders have kept their followers entertained. Huge TV screens provide the latest news and live broadcasts from the supreme court or parliament, while canteen tents spew out an endless line of sausages and tea.

Each night, live or recorded music stirs the protesters. A favourite chant - "we are many, and cannot be defeated" - has been turned into the chorus of a rap song. Its verse chants: "Yushchenko? Yes! Our president? Yes!"

A central figure is Slava Vakarchuk, lead singer of the rock band Okean Elzy (Elzi's Ocean), spotted at the front of protests addressing bewildered riot police through a megaphone, on stage alongside key opposition figures, and milling aroundparliament.

After yesterday's no confidence vote in parliament, he bounced up to Oleg Ribachuk, the opposition leader Viktor Yuschenko's chief of staff, and grasped him by the shoulders, saying "great news, great news".

A lifelong Beatles fan with shoulder-length black hair and a cropped fringe, he said: "It's not really music, but the position of musicians that is playing a key role here."

He said ordinary people could relate to him and realise "they, and not just politicians and officials, can have a role in politics".

"Two months ago I would never have imagined being part of a political process," he said. "But [opposition] politicians here can only defend the rights of the people with the help of the crowd. It's like playing chess with an opponent who comes to the board, and swipes all the pieces off it with a golf club. You have to use similar measures."

Ukrainian rock-pop is better than its Russian counterpart, owing to, Vakarchuk says, an emphasis on tunes, not lyrics.

The parliament's young security guards have responded well to having a clean-living, Ukrainian version of Liam Gallagher as one of the guerrillas in their midst, two asking for autographs on Tuesday.

One Ukrainian group, 5nizza, broke with the politics of their pro-government eastern home town of Kharkov to give a pro-opposition concert yesterday.

The Eurovision song contest winner, Ruslana, had declared she was on hunger strike until the poll results were declared invalid. She halted her protest once parliament declared no confidence in the poll.