Wide Awake festival has not been having it easy. It kicks off the Brockwell Live series of one-day festivals, but last week a residents group, Protect Brockwell Park, won a legal case against Lambeth council over the planning of the events. Protect Brockwell Park had argued the live events would damage the south London park’s ecology and put the public space out of use for local people; Brockwell Live stated that they “take our stewardship of Brockwell Park seriously”.
Yet the legal travails pale into insignificance next to those faced by today’s headliners, Kneecap. The Northern Irish punk-rap trio last month faced outrage after a Coachella set in which they condemned Israeli “genocide” in Gaza and projected slogans on stage including “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine”.
