Kneecap: Would you like some music with your politics?

O2 Academy, Birmingham, 27 November 2025

You must have been living under a rock if you haven’t come across Kneecap on your social media feeds in the last year or so. Not only are people drawn to their punchy, bilingual lyricism and high-octane shows, but also to their loud politics and social advocacy.

If you aren’t one for doomscrolling, you might have heard of the Irish hip-hop phenomenon, following the international success of the 2024 film named after the band, Kneecap, in which the artists themselves star. Its success was fascinating, the film winning both BAFTAs and BIFAs after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

It was evident she was selected to support the band because of her confident activism

At Glastonbury 2025, the band returned to the spotlight, their performance not aired to the general public due to a higher risk assessment; the BBC feared social unrest following the hyper-political performance. Regardless of whether this kind of censorship is right, the show Kneecap put on was incredible: they not only promoted a pro-Palestinian ideology, but also discussed frontman Mo Chara’s recent criminal charge for terrorism after he allegedly displayed a Hezbollah flag at a gig. The case, however, was dropped due to a lack of evidence, but it is nonetheless symbolic of the band’s outrageousness.

Having been witness to Kneecap’s reputation, I decided I had to go and investigate the live experience for myself.

The support act, Miss Kanina, is an Aboriginal artist whose music is an interesting conflation of hip-hop, rock, and RnB, fuelled by her anti-establishment ideological stance, making her a perfect opener for Kneecap. Her performance, despite being more anti-Israeli chanting than musical prowess, is electric and successfully warms up the crowd for the main act themselves. I found the setlist to be unique with an intriguing mix of tracks interspersed between almost diluted UK grime. While it was evident she was selected to support the band because of her confident activism, Miss Kanina is still definitely worth a listen.

The constant movement, and the chaos of the audience led to an organised mosh pit being a rare occurrence

With the crowd around me six “Free Palestine” chants deep (and as many pints, I’m sure), the atmosphere is palpable: everyone is waiting for Kneecap to take to the stage. The crowd, stuffed to the brim with Celtic shirts, keffiyehs, and Irish flags, erupts into applause, cheers and whistles as the trio burst onto the stage, accompanied by blaring bass and strobe lights.

The opening track, ‘3CAG’, from their most recent album Fine Art, is an instrumental, perfectly building the already explosive energy in the room. The band power straight into their second tune, ‘IT’S BEEN AGES’, a song which explicitly outlines just who Kneecap are, lyrics like “Controversy won’t phase us / We hold all the cards, and they’re aces” laid atop dingy, backroom beats.

A standout moment from the gig is ‘Fenian Cunts’, the song transforms the concert, taking it to an entirely new level. The energy is unlike anything I have ever experienced before, outshining that of acts like Chase & Status, Royal Blood, and Biffy Clyro. The constant movement and the chaos of the audience led to an organised mosh pit being a rare occurrence. Further featuring on the setlist were absolute bangers such as ‘Your Sniffer Dogs are Shite’, ‘H.O.O.D’, and ‘Get Your Brits Out’, which are equally sensational.

As the song reaches its climax, Próvaí launches himself into the air, crowd surfing over the mobbing fray

I have to applaud Kneecap’s stage presence – despite hardly stopping to speak, what they do say is extremely well-chosen and keeps the audience engaged through the entire set. They encourage a range of chants from the crowd, starting both ‘Free Palestine’ and the infamous ‘Maggie’s in a box’. A few fans even have a go at ‘ooh ah up the RA’, which the band seems conscious not to join in with, meeting it instead with a wry “youse said it, not me”.

Their interaction with the crowd didn’t stop at words, though, with the climax of the performance arriving with Mo Chara calling for the audience to “open it all the way up” during the hit track, ‘THE RECAP’. Upon his request, a split appears almost instantaneously, the intro to the song kicking in as DJ Próvaí makes his way into the centre of the pit sporting his famous tricolour balaclava. As the song reaches its climax, Próvaí launches himself into the air, crowd surfing over the mobbing fray, and I’m excited to share that I was the proud supporter of his kneecap for at least thirty seconds.

If I had to describe the gig in one word, it would be “mental”. Both the energy of the music and their performance contributed to all fans leaving the venue aching and awe-stricken. Kneecap may be controversial, but their drive, passion, and talent can’t be faulted. All in all, I gained a few bruises, and the band gained a new fan: it’s an experience I’d urge everyone to see live at least once in their lives.

★★★★