Kneecap aren’t backing down — and they’re not dialling it in either.
The Belfast rap trio, currently facing terror-related charges, used their headline set at Wide Awake Festival over the weekend to take aim at the UK government. There they called out censorship, and, in true Kneecap fashion, invited fans to Westminster Magistrates’ Court with “a big bag of ket.”
The charges stem from a 2023 show where member Mo Chara allegedly displayed a Hezbollah flag, a proscribed symbol under UK law. The band insists the moment was ripped out of context and labelled the whole thing “a carnival of distraction” from what they say is the real story: the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
“Anybody who’s free on June 18 – get a big bag of ket and we’ll go on the steps of Westminster,” they joked on stage. They also reminded fans that the system trying to prosecute them is the same one that’s cancelled half their festival dates.
Cornwall’s Eden Project, Germany’s Hurricane and Southside Festivals, and a last-minute Plymouth show have all pulled out. MPs have called for them to be dropped from Glastonbury and TRNSMT too.
“They tried to stop this gig,” they told the Brockwell Park crowd. “You have no idea how close we were to being pulled.”
At the heart of it is Kneecap’s unfiltered criticism of UK foreign policy and unwavering support for Palestine — which made headlines after they projected anti-genocide slogans at Coachella this year and led the crowd in chants of solidarity.
They’re not alone either. Tom Morello, Massive Attack, Fontaines D.C., and Brian Eno are among the artists who’ve signed an open letter supporting the group. As Massive Attack put it: “Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story.”
The court case is set for June. Expect noise — and probably a few suspiciously wide-eyed supporters outside.
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