Lives Less Ordinary

Sarajevo Siege - the band that drowned out the bombs


Listen Later

By 1994, the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo had been under siege for two years. Sniper fire and shelling were a daily threat to the residents stuck in the city. Though life was tough, artistic creativity flourished. The heavy metal community was one particularly resilient music scene. Whilst there were still local gigs there was a hunger for something bigger, to know the rest of the world had not forgotten them. A group of firefighters and UN peacekeepers, decided that the city needed a big name rock act to keep morale up. Only one rock star was willing to do it, Bruce Dickinson, the frontman of Iron Maiden. The organisers got a venue, and petrol for their power generators. But there was one particular challenge they had to overcome - how do you get a rock star into a city surrounded by warring armies? This episode was first released on 26th April 2019.
Presenter: Saskia Edwards
Producer: Harry Graham
Image: The audience at a metal gig in Sarajevo
Credit: Scream For Me Sarajevo Film
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Lives Less OrdinaryBy BBC World Service

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

469 ratings


More shows like Lives Less Ordinary

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,721 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

369 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,055 Listeners

Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

394 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,538 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,797 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

975 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

592 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,829 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,089 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,035 Listeners

The Food Chain by BBC World Service

The Food Chain

349 Listeners

File on 4 Investigates by BBC Radio 4

File on 4 Investigates

41 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

739 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

841 Listeners

People Fixing the World by BBC World Service

People Fixing the World

245 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,215 Listeners

The Missing Cryptoqueen by BBC Sounds

The Missing Cryptoqueen

1,043 Listeners

The Slow Newscast by The Observer

The Slow Newscast

168 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,035 Listeners

Life Changing by BBC Radio 4

Life Changing

68 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

53 Listeners

Strangers on a Bench by Tom Rosenthal

Strangers on a Bench

771 Listeners