Kneecap: I saw the UK's most controversial band in Newcastle and had the time of my life listening to Irish republican rap
For most bands the release of their breakthrough album would be enough to cement their year as a positive one - but not Kneecap.
The West Belfast trio’s second album ‘Fine Art’ was released over the summer of 2024 but this year they have also released a self titled, hugely acclaimed film - and to top it all off, they launched a legal case against the UK Government which they won.
To understand Kneecap is to understand the politics of Ireland and its relationship with the UK, and even the headline to this review would not be seen as favourable by the group and their fans, of whom I consider myself one.
The film, released just weeks after the group’s second album, is a truly brilliant piece of filmmaking; an effort which bends between truth and fiction starring the three members of the group as themselves. The key aspect of the story, which the trio remain ambiguous as to what is real, is not the drug use, but what it means to be part of the Irish Catholic community within Northern Ireland (or the North of Ireland, if you ask the group themselves) in the era following the Good Friday Agreement.
From rapping in Irish to covering topics of aggressive policing and solidarity with similar movements across the world, including the ongoing issues in Gaza, the actions of the trio have brought the group plenty of attention - even from their first release. The debut track Cearta (Rights in Irish) was banned from local radio stations due to its references to drug taking and swearing - something the group defended by saying it is a satirical take on life in West Belfast.
Even the group's name was met with controversy, being the traditional wounding inflicted on alleged drug-dealers by paramilitary Irish Republicans.
Fast-forward a couple of years to early winter in 2024, and one of the group, DJ Provai, steps out of a converted Land Rover to offer a statement in his trademark tricolour balaclava after the UK Government were found to illegally withhold funding from the trio. They would use the money they won as part of the case to help fund community groups on both sides of the divide in their home city.
All of this is to say Kneecap are one of the few acts you can see in Newcastle and have an earnest chat with friends and fellow fans in the pub beforehand about community divisions in Belfast as well as the Irish language and how this relates to community tensions in Glasgow, all of which were discussed before heading to Digital for their show on Saturday, December 14.
The famous (or infamous, depending on your own experiences!) venue is one usually reserved for nights out, but the space is likely one of the only places in the city with a sound system capable of giving respect to the beats and bass the group have built - as well as holding the amount of people who are fully on board with the group’s astronomical ascent into the mainland’s music scene.
Walking in through the entrance to Digital’s smaller sister venue Think Tank, the impact of the band was clear to see. Bringing punk aesthetics into R&B is now common, but how many merch tables depict flaming molotov cocktails in Buckfast bottles or flaming police riot vans?
All of this is to say, Kneecap are an inherently political band. I’ve seen a lot of these sorts of acts over the years at this point, but I have to say this - there is very little else around like Kneecap at the moment.
This year I have seen everyone from Essex folk singer Beans on Toast to Taylor Swift, and I truly don’t believe I have experienced the best energy from a gig until my final one of the year at Digital.
A very early door time of 6:30 left the crowd well lubricated ahead of the support set from Jamali Blackman, who featured on aspects of the newest album before green and orange lights lit up the stage for 15 minutes before DJ Provai got things underway.
Entering the stage to 3CAG, the title track from their debut album which also ended up on their second release, the entire room was deafening.
Considering 24 hours previously the group had been sharing the stage with Primal Scream and Paul Weller as part of a ‘Gig For Gaza’ in London, the energy was matched by the trio, although it was take a lot for anyone to see that mainly young, fired up, bouncing crowd and not take at least some inspiration from it.
I hope the start of this review shows that Kneecap are more than just three guys from Belfast looking to rile up those in power, anti British and anti Thatcer chants were mirrored by the crowd in between songs, there were some truly heartfelt moments too. Quick speeches about Gaza and the Irish language were listed to as intently as a lecture at the nearby universities before another bass drop would result in yet more moshpit chaos.
“Gigs are expensive these days aren’t they? How much did you pay? £25?…what? £30?! Worth every f****** penny and you know it” exclaimed Móglaí Bap in the second half of the set. While tickets for shows are continuing to rise in price, there are very few acts which make you leave knowing you would pay more to experience it again. Kneecap are one of those acts.
Tracks which saw guest verses on the new album, such as Better Way To Live featuring Grian Chatten of Fontaines DC, were helped along by a sold out Digital and as H.O.O.D brought the set to a close the three young lads were met with a deafening wave of love and, most importantly, a sense of solidarity.