Following weeks of controversy, Kneecap hit Glastonbury Festival on Saturday (June 28) with one of the weekend’s busiest sets.
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The Northern Irish trio have been at the center of controversy since their Coachella performance back in April. At that show, they displayed a message that read: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F— Israel; free Palestine.”
Historic footage of the band from November 2024 allegedly showing support for Hezbollah – a militant group proscribed terror status in the U.K. – triggered an investigation and eventual charge under anti-terror laws for MC Mo Chara. He appeared in court earlier on June 18, with a hearing set for later this summer. He denies the charge, and says that it is a “carnival of distraction.”
The subsequent fallout has reached the top political office, with U.K. prime minister Sir Keir Starmer saying that he felt it was not “appropriate” for the group to perform at Glastonbury. A number of the trio’s contemporaries, including Massive Attack, Johnny Marr and CMAT, have backed the group in recent weeks amidst a campaign to have the band removed from the lineup.
The trio took the stage at the West Holts stage at 4 p.m. (BST) to a packed-out stage. The field was closed 45 minutes prior to the performance to avoid overcrowding, with thousands flocking to see the group.
The set began with clips of recent global news broadcasts about the band, including footage of Sharon Osbourne calling for them to have their U.S. work visas revoked. Mo Chara took to the stage in a Palestinian keffiyeh, while bandmate Móglaí Bap wore a Fontaines D.C. football shirt – with the Dublin band having continually voiced their support for Kneecap.
“Glastonbury, I’m a free man,” Mo Chara shouted shortly after “It’s Been Ages.” The crowd responded by raising a sea of Palestinian flags, while some festivalgoers let off red and green flares in support. “Has anyone been watching the news lately?,” added DJ Provai before starting a “Free Mo Chara” chant.
After rattling through highlights from their 2024 LP Fine Art, as well as a handful of unreleased tracks, the group referenced their ongoing legal case. “Mo Chara was in the Westminster court this month,” began Móglaí Bap. “He is back in court for a trumped-up terrorism charge. It’s not the first time there has been a miscarriage of justice for an Irish person in the British Justice System.” He then rallied the crowd to show up for Mo Chara’s hearing, which is scheduled to take place on Aug. 20.
Later on, Mo Chara acknowledged Glastonbury Festival and its owners, the Eavis family, for standing by them amidst calls for them to be removed from the line-up. “I want to say a big thank you to the Eavis family of Glastonbury. The pressure that the family was under [to drop us], but they stayed strong – fair play to them. The Prime Minister of your country – not mine – said he didn’t want us to play. So, f— Kier Starmer.
“This [legal] situation can be quite stressful for us at times. But the stress that we are feeling is minimal in comparison to what the Palestinian people are going through every single day. We are from West Belfast, a place that has experienced occupation. We understand colonialism and we understand how important it is to have international solidarity.”
The rapper also went on to discuss Ireland’s complex history of occupation by the United Kingdom and the country’s resulting political landscape. “The Irish suffered 800 years of colonialism under the British state,” he said. “But we were never bombed from under the skies with nowhere to go. The Palestinians have nowhere to f—ing go – literally. Not only are they being bombed from the skies, they are being starved to death in this day and age. I don’t have to lecture you people; we are all watching it, we all have a phone.”
He continued: “I can see the amount of Palestinian flags here and it is insane. The BBC editor is going to have some job [editing them out]. Sometimes we feel helpless, sometimes we feel like we aren’t doing enough and that is probably true sometimes – but this is about difference it makes to people in Palestine when they see this many people on the other side of the world screaming ‘Free Palestine’. I am so f—ing proud of all of yous.”
The band later thanked the Glastonbury crowd for their support, alluding to how the ensuing controversy has seen numerous live shows and festival appearances cancelled, as well as the band being dropped by their booking agent.
“Believe me, I know firsthand what happens when you speak out about Palestine in this industry,” said Mo Chara as the set drew to a close. “I spoke at Coachella and everyone in that f—ing tent agreed with me. The US media do not want to believe that young Americans agree with us; young people around the world know what’s going on.”
The band’s set was removed from the BBC’s livestream schedule, but earlier on Saturday it was confirmed their set would later be uploaded to the channel’s iPlayer service.
Glastonbury Festival saw sets from The 1975, Lorde, Lewis Capaldi and more on Friday (June 27) with Neil Young, Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo and more set to perform over the rest of the weekend.
