KNEECAP's Wide Awake headline gig fate revealed

KNEECAP will perform as planned at this year's Wide Awake Festival in London on May 23.
The festival released a statement on their social media saying that 'after positive discussions with key stakeholders, Wide Awake Festival can confirm that, as planned, KNEECAP will be performing at this years festival.'
Wide Awake also added that it has 'a proud history of supporting the alternative music scene, and we look forward to staging another unforgettable event showcasing the very best emerging and established talent'.
KNEECAP's headliner in Brockwell Park will mark their first live performance since Coachella, where they projected a slogan saying 'Fuck Israel, Free Palestine' that made international headlines
In response to their statements at Coachella, the rap trio has faced what they have described as a 'smear campaign' from concert organisers. A series of scheduled gigs such as Eden Sessions and Plymouth Pavillions in the UK and Hurricane and Southside Festivals in Germany were cancelled.
Along with the announcement, Wide Awake Festival shared a statement from KNEECAP's label Heavenly Recordings titled 'We Stand for Freedom of Expression', which included hundreds of signatories from the music industry including Fontaines D. C. and CMAT.
Today, the Belfast group released the sale of T-shirts where they are depicted as 'WANTED' by UK counter-terrorism units, likely in reference to the UK police reviewing their concert footage. View this post on Instagram
A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32)

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Sunday World

15 hours ago

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Kneecap fans charged €30 for balaclavas and ‘free Mo Chara' tshirts at Dublin gig

Fans who did buy them at official merchandising stalls may feel they got a bit of a bargain as the same items are fetching over €110 online. KNEECAP fans are not only lapping up their music but also their imaginative merchandising. Woolen Irish tricolour balaclavas, as famously sported by band member DJ Provai, were on sale at last night's gig in Dublin's Fairview Park for €30. Many fans took delight wearing them, with security signs on nearby entrances earlier anticipating the craze by signalling: 'Balaclavas may be worn but please show your face if asked by security staff'. Kneecap News in 90 Seconds - June 20th Fans who did buy them at official merchandising stalls may feel they got a bit of a bargain as the same items are fetching over €110 online. Kneecap t-shirts, primarily in black, were also generally priced at €30. The most popular one being snapped up had 'Free Mo Chara' on its front, in obvious reference to band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh's current court case in London. Tshirts on sale at the gig This was the group's first show since Liam's appearance at a magistrates court in London on Wednesday on alleged incitement of terrorism charges (for displaying a Hezbollah flag at a gig in the British capital several months ago), with his case being put back until August while he's released on unconditional bail. Other t-shirts read 'Kneecap: England get out of Ireland' and 'Take these yokes and we'll go for a dance'. A Kneecap hoodie was on sale for €70 and shorts for €40. There was also a separate stall selling pro-Palestinian items. Much of the marketing ideas are originated by the band's enterprising Dubliner manager Daniel Lambert. Daniel is also the C.E.O. of Bohemians FC, where he has had a phenomenal success of bringing sales of merchandising of replica jerseys from just over €100,000 a year to an estimated €2 million. A sign on display at the gig The jerseys, many of which are bought online from abroad, have already have themes such as Bob Marley (who played in Dalymount Park in 1980), 'Refugees Welcome' and 'Fontaines DC'. Environmentalist Greta Thunberg was spotted wearing a Bohs' Fontaines DC on her recent attempted boat trip to Gaza. 'I'm a free man', announced Liam as he took to the stage last night, to whoops of support from the sold-out crowd of 8500 who packed out a giant marquee. Free Mo Chara tshirts were on sale Liam also later wryly stressed that 'I'm not the first lad from west Belfast' that ended up in a British court. The band also highlighted that while their fans got to enjoy an exhilarating show they should also contemplate about Palestinians being slaughtered in Gaza and the West Bank. Balaclavas on sale online The group too paid a touching tribute to their late lightning designer Conor Biddle, offering sympathy to his family and husband Sean. Kneecap will play Glastonbury on Saturday of next weekend, where they're expected to have one of the biggest crowds of the famous festival given not just the curiosity, they're attracting for being perhaps the most high-profile anti-establishment act at the moment but also because their catchy and thought-provoking music is attracting a growing army of fans.

Irish Examiner

17 hours ago

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Thousands flock to Dublin's Fairview Park for sold-out Kneecap gig

Back on Irish soil, Kneecap took to the stage at Fairview Park in Dublin on Thursday night. Despite swirling controversy, the West Belfast rappers are at the peak of their musical careers, having played several European festivals this summer and now their sold-out Fairview Park gig. The group is also set to play two 3Arena gigs on December 16 and 17. Kneecap fans Aoibhe Shankly,Hannah Coomerford and Rachel OKeefe pictured arriving to fairview park Dublin. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos. With their politically provocative lyrics and working-class commentary, the group, consisting of Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí, has grown in popularity both at home and abroad. Kneecap fans Dylan Keating and Shannon Iveagh pictured arriving to fairview park Dublin. PIcture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos. Their success, however, hasn't come without some controversy, with the cancellation of some gigs following their outspoken support for Palestine. Kneecap had faced some backlash over their comments about Gaza during their Coachella performance earlier this year. Kneecap fans pictured arriving to fairview park Dublin. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos Separately, member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, appeared before Westminster Magistrates Court in London to face a terror charge for allegedly displaying a Hizbullah flag at a gig in London last November. Taking to the stage at Fairview Park on Thursday, Mo Chara exclaimed, 'I'm a free man' to a crowd of cheering fans. This week also marked the first anniversary of the group's debut album Fine Art, which was released in June 2024. Read More Seven red giraffes to parade through streets of Cork city this weekend

Irish Times

21 hours ago

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Kneecap in Fairview Park review: Defiant, considered and celebratory

Kneecap Fairview Park, Dublin ★★★★★ Far from the gloomy halls of the Westminster Magistrates' Court, Kneecap arrive to Fairview Park defiant and full of energy. 'Quite the culture change' is how they describe their new surroundings. Here, the trio are conductors, orchestrating their congregation skilfully and punctuating an explosive set with humour and powerful monologues. A phrase penned by American poet Toi Derricotte, and borrowed by punk outfit Idles , comes to mind: joy is an act of resistance. [ Fans rally behind Kneecap after London court appearance: 'If you're supporting Ireland, you're supporting Kneecap' Opens in new window ] Detractors fundamentally and deliberately misinterpret what Kneecap are doing. Even softer-sounding labels of 'controversial' and 'agitating' are forged to distract from a very simple, innocuous objective – drawing attention to Israel's ongoing massacre of Palestinian people , and to the political inaction, or participation, that renders western governments complicit in a genocide. No one needed to be persuaded on Thursday in Fairview, but it doesn't diminish their importance. READ MORE In north Dublin, the night holds the communal intensity of a football song. In lieu of scarves and match programmes, Tricolour balaclavas are hung up for sale on temporary fencing at the park's entrance. Inside the marquee, where temperatures run high, many peel the headgear back to cool their faces. In an early monologue, the court case is addressed. Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh), who has been charged with a terrorism offence in the UK over allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hizbullah at a gig last year, says that Kneecap have beaten the British government before and promises to do it again. It is a reference to the group's successful legal challenge in November over withheld arts funding. Fans take selfies before the Kneecap concert in Dublin's Fairview Park on Thursday. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni Later in the night, Mo Chara spends several considered minutes issuing a diatribe against the suffering of the Palestinian people. He acknowledges that the crowd here is in agreement with him, but pledges that 'until something changes, Kneecap will always use their platform'. Amid the sombre moments, there is no deviation from the tenets of Kneecap's performance routine – riotous, pulsating tracks that alchemise everyone in attendance. Fenian C***s and Your Sniffer Dogs Are S***e are early defibrillators. This is a rave that relies on participation, and pits open readily when ordered by those onstage. By the end of these bursts, the interludes work well as breathers. They even feature singalongs of The Auld Triangle and Dirty Old Town. A poignant dedication is made to Conor Biddle, an acclaimed Irish lighting designer who died earlier this year. The moment best captures the celebratory blend of emotions that Kneecap foster, as they dedicate the next song, Sick in the Head, to their friend in the knowledge he would have appreciated the joke. As the night winds to a close, the practised rhythm of the band's big finish becomes evident. DJ Próvaí forays beyond his mixing desk as Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap dovetail slick, emphatic vocals. Gone are the pauses, and the tent erupts for C.E.A.R.T.A., Get Your Brits Out, Parful and Hood. In the niche of Irish language punk-rap, very few acts stand alongside Kneecap musically. The message and identity of their work, however, is mirrored by an array of their national contemporaries. Explorative, parochial, socially conscious artists that echo the voices of young people around the country; this could describe Fontaines DC , Lankum , CMAT and many more. It is not an ethos to be feared.