Noel Gallagher has become a fan of West Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap, after seeing the band storm Glastonbury festival at the weekend.
Kneecap - rappers Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh) and Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin), plus DJ Próvaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh) - played two sets at Worthy Farm last weekend, performing at 11:30am on The Woodsies stage, and at 1:30am the following morning on the Shangri-La stage, where Gallagher was spotted in attendance, alongside former Doctor Who actor Matt Smith.
Speaking on his friend Matt Morgan's podcast (for Patreon subscribers), Gallagher was full of praise for the Irish trio's performance
“We went to see this Northern Irish street kids called Kneecap… they’re kind of pro Republican rappers,” he told Morgan. “We get there and the tent is absolutely fucking smashed packed – you couldn’t get in. These three lads walk out, one of them is in a balaclava and they rap in Gaelic [sic]. They’ve got a song called Get Your Brits Out. There’s a lot of humour to it… I couldn’t believe how enjoyable it was.”
“Being of Irish heritage I found that quite funny and they were really, really good.”
Reviewing the band's Woodies set on Saturday morning, Louder's Stephen Hill wrote, “In a year where a lot of the big draws are fairly mainstream, family-friendly and cuddly, Kneecap bring a sense of legitimate danger and aggression to Glastonbury. The fast-rising West Belfast trio are, unquestionably, the lairiest band you’ll see at this year's festival... This feels like the beginning of something very special.”
In May, speaking on Morgan's podcast, Gallagher also enthused about a recent trip to see the ABBA Voyage show currently playing in London, and suggested that he would be "bang up" for signing off on a similar show preserving Oasis at their '90s peak.
Hailing the ABBA Voyage show as “fucking unbelievable”, Gallagher continued, “It was great – an hour and a half gig. It was very, very impressive. I genuinely thought at one point that the people on the stage, which were holograms, were… they looked that real that I thought they were actors. The way they walk to the stage is so realistic. If you ever get the chance to go, it’s well worth it. I was very impressed by it to be honest.”
Doubtless speaking somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Gallagher added, “If anybody wants to do an Oasis one, give us a shout. I would be bang up for it. I’d say, Great, speak to that guy over there and then come up with a figure and then he’ll relay it to me and I’ll say either yes or no.”
