Musician Thomas Dolby has said he was “absolutely gobsmacked” after his Ukrainian bass player was not allowed to join him on the UK leg of his tour.
The 67-year-old, known for hits such as She Blinded Me With Science and Hyperactive, then decided to incorporate musician Ana Pshokina into his shows remotely, as “the show must go on”.
Synth-pop pioneer Dolby kicked off his latest tour earlier this year, performing his 1980s hits across the United States, before embarking on the UK leg of his tour with “incredible talent” Pshokina due to join him as his bassist.
After the Ukrainian-born musician, 29, was denied entry into the country, Dolby opted to “collaborate with her remotely” for the shows and said it “would have been a catastrophe” to go ahead without her.
Speaking to the Press Association, Dolby said: “It just seemed like a good tech solution. I put my thinking cap on and figured out a way to make it happen, and it’s kind of magic.
“I didn’t want people getting angry at the immigration service. It was more a case of, we would have been heartbroken if she had been unable to appear.
“Through the miracle of technology, we’re able to bring her to you, and it kind of works – she’s like she’s huge on the screen, I think it’s very touching to people, and I think they’re very moved by it.”
The London-born musician said that he discovered Pshokina, who has been a professional musician for almost 15 years, through her social media, including TikTok and asked her to join the tour.
He explained that although the bass player had a certificate of sponsorship for the tour, she was unable to board her flight from her home in Portugal to the UK.
Dolby said: “(Pshokina) was all teed up to come and meet us in rehearsal a few days before the tour, when we got this call from her, frantic at Lisbon Airport, saying ‘I’ve been denied entry’.
“As far as we’re concerned, we pulled this work permit back in February, we made sure that we did it well ahead of time and it was granted.
“We thought she was all set, she had flights, the hotel was booked and everything. We were due to start rehearsing the next morning.
“I was absolutely gobsmacked at this news.”
Dolby described coming up with the idea of including Pshokina in his shows remotely as “a light bulb going off” and said: “I suddenly thought of her TikTok videos.
“I just pictured one of those on the screen behind us, and I thought ‘wow, this could actually really work if Ana’s into it’. This was a way to make lemonade out of lemons.”
Dolby has since adapted his shows to feature a series of pre-recorded videos of Pshokina projected onto the back of Dolby’s stage, featuring her singing and playing the bass as she follows along with his concert setlist remotely.
Pshokina told PA she was “crying my eyes out” when she was turned away at the airport and described the situation as “really stressful”.
She went on to say she was “really happy” when Dolby suggested she participate in the concerts via video, and said: “I immediately said hell yes, let’s do it.
“I couldn’t believe that Thomas managed to still keep me in the show, even though I’m not there physically.”
The musician added that she has since received an influx of positivity from fans on social media and said: “They were all so sweet.
“They were happy to see me (at the concert) and, of course, it made me feel happy that they took the time to reach out to me.”
Ukrainian nationals require a full visa in advance of travelling to the UK as per the immigration rules, meaning Pshokina would need to apply for a full creative visa to be considered for entry into the country, according to The Home Office.
