“Kneecap at Wembley,” beams Mo Chara, “Keir Starmer must be raging.” And the rumble from the Belfast rap trio’s second ever arena gig might well be echoing through the obsequious banqueting halls of Westminster. Because from the Palestinian flags hung from the arena balconies and the heartfelt chants of “Free, free Palestine” rattling the rafters whenever the cause is mentioned, it’s clear that in the space of one turbulent summer, Kneecap have evolved from semi-serious agitators into a genuine political movement.
Since Mo Chara – a very vocal supporter of Palestinian freedom, alongside bandmates Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí – was charged in May with displaying a Hezbollah flag onstage in London last November, Kneecap have consistently proclaimed the legal case against him as a “distraction” from the ongoing situation in Gaza. If anything, though, the charges have had the opposite effect, galvanising widespread support across the musical spectrum for the suffering Palestinian civilians.
