Irish language rap group Kneecap have defended their provocative performances as “satirical” ahead of performing at Glastonbury this weekend.
The rap trio are due to take to the West Holts stage at 4pm on Saturday, just over a week after one of their members appeared in court and as senior Westminster politicians criticised their participation in the popular music festival.
Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh appeared in court last week after being charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah while saying “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” at a gig in November last year.
The band were also criticised following footage of a November 2023 gig allegedly showing a member saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not think it is “appropriate” for Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury, while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thought the BBC “should not be showing” Kneecap’s performance.
O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, said the videos only resurfaced after Kneecap performed at Coachella in April, where they said “F*** Israel. Free Palestine”.
Mo Chara, along with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap), and JJ O Dochartaigh (DJ Provai), said the ensuing controversies are a distraction from what is happening to Palestinians.
They said they are happy to lose income and clout in order to be “on the right side of history”, and said they hoped that “being vocal and being unafraid” would encourage other bands to speak up on Palestine.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper ahead of Glastonbury, O hAnnaidh defended their performances as “satirical”.
“It’s a joke. I’m a character. Shit is thrown on stage all the time. If I’m supposed to know every f****** thing that’s thrown on stage I’d be in Mensa,” he said.
“I don’t know every proscribed organisation – I’ve got enough shit to worry about up there. I’m thinking about my next lyric, my next joke, the next drop of a beat.”
Asked about the “dead Tory” comments, he said it was “a joke” and “we’re playing characters”.
“It’s satirical, it’s a f****** joke. And that’s not the point,” he said.
“The point is, that (video) wasn’t an issue until we said ‘Free Palestine’ at Coachella. That stuff happened 18 months ago, and nobody batted an eyelid.
“Everybody agreed it was a f****** joke, even people that may have been in the room that didn’t agree – it’s a laugh, we’re all having a bit of craic.
“The point is, and the context is, it all (resurfaced) because of Coachella. That’s what we should be questioning, not whether I regret things.”
O hAnnaidh added: “If you believe that what a satirical band who play characters on stage do is more outrageous than the murdering of innocent Palestinians, then you need to give your head a f****** wobble.”
