Ireland, the world's media has decided, is having an extended 'moment', in cultural terms. Last August, Elle pronounced summer 2023 'Officially Hot Irish Guy Summer', and since then, in every area of the arts, citizens of the 32 Counties are enjoying almost unparalleled critical acclaim, with Cork's Cillian Murphy picking up the Best Actor Oscar for Oppenheimer, Limerick's Paul Lynch awarded the Booker Prize for his novel Prophet Song, and musical artists, from folk collective Lankum to post-punks Sprints to singer/songwriter CMAT, receiving rave reviews for their recent albums and live performances.
“I would say Irish culture is killing it at the moment because we are all a bit traumatised,” CMAT told NME last month. “It’s really bred into our culture that being creative, being funny, and and making the best of a bad situation is the key to survival.”
Nowhere is this attitude better embodied and encapsulated than on Fine Art, the superb debut album from Belfast rappers Kneecap.
Over the past 12 months, the trio - Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh), Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin) and DJ Próvaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh) - have made headlines for a variety of reasons. There was their decision to sue the UK government after Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch personally intervened to block funding awarded to the group for US touring. There was their boycott of the South By SouthWest music festival to highlight “the unacceptable deep links the festival has to weapons companies and the U.S. military who at this very moment are enabling a genocide and famine against a trapped population”, a bold move swiftly followed by every other Irish band also withdrawing their participation in solidarity with the Palestinian people. And then there was their triumphant appearance at the Sundance Film Festival, where their semi-fictionalised self-titled biopic, the first Irish language film ever to premiere at the event, won the festival's Audience Award.
Now, with the imminent release of Fine Art, global attention will finally pivot fully to the trio's music. And, once again, Kneecap have absolutely nailed it, for the multi-faceted, bi-lingual Fine Art is one of the smartest, funniest, most euphoric and imaginative debut albums released by any Irish band, ever.
