Kneecap shocked exactly as expected at a raucous Glastonbury set on Saturday.
The Irish rap trio has drawn widespread criticism in recent months, with one of the members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, charged with a terror offence last month. Glastonbury partner, the BBC, stood by their decision to air their set, despite U.K. culture secretary Lisa Nandy’s comments that the band “thrive on the oxygen of publicity.” Nandy said Thursday: “Personally, I don’t want to see that on TV screens.”
On Saturday afternoon at Glastonbury’s West Holts stage, which was fenced off as they came on due to overcrowding, Ó hAnnaidh told the 30,000-person crowd: “Glastonbury, I’m a free man!” Clips of newsreaders announcing his terror charge played before the band came on, as well as pro-Palestine messages and videos of various U.K. politicians criticizing the decision to have the band play at the festival.
“The amount of Palestinian flags I can see is insane,” Ó hAnnaidh also said. “The BBC editor is going to have some job.”
The band members continued, discussing Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis and his daughter, who now runs the festival, Emily: “A big thank you to the Eavis family. The pressure that that family was under and they stood strong,” they said of being allowed to perform, “Fair play to them.”
“The prime minister of your country didn’t want us to play… So fuck Keir Starmer!” The band repeated this sentiment a lot over the course of the one-hour set, getting the audience to chant it back to them. Re-emphasizing their pro-Palestine views, Kneecap was critical of the British and U.S. governments and the U.S. media.
In May, the Met Police said it would investigate after online videos showed the band calling for the death of British parliament ministers, as well as chanting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” It is illegal in the U.K. to express support for Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim political and military group in Lebanon, as it is considered a terrorist organization in Britain.
Kneecap, which also includes members Naoise Ó Cairealláin and J.J. Ó Dochartaigh, said the video in question has been taken out of context and that they have never supported Hamas or Hezbollah. Ó hAnnaidh is due in a London court in late August.
The trio, stars of Rich Peppiatt’s “print the legend” biopic, have also raised eyebrows for expressing their pro-Palestine views on stage. After news of Ó hAnnaidh’s charge, the band took to defend themselves. “This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction. 14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again, the British establishment is focused on us.”
Last year, the movie Kneecap, also starring Michael Fassbender, dominated film headlines. Director Peppiatt made BAFTA history by tying the record for nominations for a debut filmmaker with six. He won one BAFTA — namely for outstanding debut by a British writer, director, or producer — serving as both writer and director of the film.
But the group’s political views have gotten them into hot water. In April, they displayed messages about the ongoing war in Gaza during their Coachella set, leading to the cancellation of their concerts in Germany. Later, they parted ways with their booking agency Independent Artist Group, sources confirm to The Hollywood Reporter.
Glastonbury Festival runs from June 25-29.