New video from Simple Plan showcases Ukrainian artists while raising relief funds

A still from Quebec band Simple Plan's new fundraising video for Ukraine relief. (Photo: YouTube)

Pop-punk fans now have their own way to show solidarity with Ukraine. The Montreal band Simple Plan, which rose to fame in the early 2000s, has a new single and video that will raise funds for the besieged country.

It's not just a fundraiser, either -- the video has been conceived and produced by Ukrainian artists, including filmmaker Jensen Noen, a friend and longtime collaborator of the band who came up with the idea.

“When we saw the first images of the war in Ukraine, we were heartbroken and felt helpless in the face of events," the band wrote.

"The impact on young children and families was particularly devastating and made us want to do something to help."

The video's cast and crew are all Ukrainian-born, the band said.

The song is called "Wake Me Up (When This Nightmare's Over)" and the video shows the band playing amid a rubble-strewn landscape, alternating with scenes of families sleeping in basements and trying to survive desperate conditions.

All money raised through its views on YouTube will go to UNICEF's emergency fund for Ukraine relief.

Seeing how much more personal the crisis was for Noen, they spoke to him and got the idea for the video.

"Since the war started, I've been through a whole range of emotions: from depression to rage, to an overwhelming feeling of helplessness," Noen said.

"I can't describe what I'm feeling. I felt watching my home country being torn to pieces, its people raped and killed, children and innocent civilians dying every day."

Simple Plan has been on hiatus since 2020, when a tour was cancelled in the pandemic. The new single comes from the band's upcoming album, "Harder Than It Looks," which is slated for release on May 6.