Ahead of the release of their third album Fenian, Irish rap trio Kneecap brought a double bill show to Rescue Rooms this week to give Notts a taste of what they’ve got in store this year…
The last couple of years have been somewhat colossal for Kneecap. While 2024 saw sold out tours, their second album Fine Art reaching number two in the charts, and numerous accolades and awards for the band’s semi-biographical Irish language film - over the past eighteen months the media spotlight has increasingly been more for the trio’s spectacular controversies than their art.
Whether it be the BBC electing to not livestream their performance at last year’s Glastonbury festival, Mo Chara’s flag related terrorism charge (and later acquittal), or beef with Sharon Osbourne - Kneecap rattle cages, and at times it feels likely your nan would probably have heard their name battered about.
This isn’t a band courting drama for the sake of it. While swathed in satire, humour, and a healthy dose of swagger, their political message is consistent, whether that be Irish republicanism, advocacy of the Irish language, or support for Palestine, it’s clear their staunch position on numerous causes go further than mere performativity
But this isn’t a band courting drama for the sake of it. While swathed in satire, humour, and a healthy dose of swagger, their political message is consistent, whether that be Irish republicanism, advocacy of the Irish language, or support for Palestine, it’s clear their staunch position on numerous causes go further than mere performativity. Back in March the trio joined an international humanitarian mission to deliver aid to Cuba, which is suffering a severe energy and economic crisis due to American tariffs. Amusingly, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is still talking about them, describing them as “completely intolerable” during a recent trip to Belfast.
Using art, satire and free speech to hack off the establishment is nothing new in music, but Kneecap are on a roll, so it’s intriguing to think what might be in store this evening, which saw not one but two Rescue Room sets for the band as they tour their upcoming album Fenian, due to be released this Friday 1 May. So far, we've had three singles off it this year, Liar’s Tale, Smugglers & Scholars, and most recently with republican bop Fenian.
I've managed to catch Kneecap a couple of times in Rock City and Sheffield's Octagon, but this was a decidedly stripped back set visually. Emerging from a deep red mist to a bone rattling bass, the band jumped in, quickly rousing the curious yet tentative crowd. I’m not sure what they’re playing, but it sounds good.
A few songs in and the lads get chatty - a regular facet of their live performance that is always sprinkled with a bit of humour, humility and honesty. While the music may be loud, bassy and mostly performed in a language many have never heard elsewhere before, Kneecap definitely have a knack for connecting with their audience, and their chat in between songs is part of what makes their live shows.
The incongruity of a 6pm gig does not go unchecked. They acknowledge the novelty of listening to a set comprised of an album no one in the room has heard in full, and they strike a little competition in our hearts by inciting a bigger reaction than the upcoming later crowd. There's a mention of their chaotic past year, acknowledging Mo Chara’s legal issues (“I thought everyone got charged with terrorism at some point, but perhaps that's just being from Northern Ireland.") and several chants of ‘Free Palestine’ erupt from the room - now a staple of their shows.
Perhaps it was the confines of Rescue Rooms on a sunny Sunday evening, but the new album sounds darker, louder, heavier, but equally as sharp with its cultural commentary - at least from what I gather as a non Irish speaker nerdily translating lyrics I’ve found online. A wave of recognition rippled as they got to single Smugglers & Scholars, which reflects on going up against corrupt governments, while the aforementioned Fenian got the room chanting the chorus in seconds. (I particularly enjoyed the reaction to this of the pogoing balaclava-wearing lad in front of me, who was having the time of his life next to his completely stationary mate).
Mid set the lads check in on those at the front - something I’ve seen them do before, and, in a world of Travis Scotts, is much appreciated. I rather think that some people can’t look past a tracksuit or certain genre of music and see there’s a lot of empathy at the core of Kneecap, whether that’s caring about the rights of people in distant countries or the wellbeing of those at their gigs.
To top off the set we get treated to 2018 classic H.O.O.D., before Big Bad Mo - a late night techno tinged banger I am very much looking forward to listening to on the album. This is followed by 2025’s searing single The Recap, which takes a bite at Thatcher, Badenoch and the ghoulishness of the Tory party. Then as a final serving, and some political neutrality, recent single Liar’s Tale, an ode to Starmer and Netenyahu which is entrenched in a very Stooges-esque riff.
Thrust back into the sunshine, I’m hyped and already hooked. Kneecap are not just pop culture, they’re artistic protest in action and a musical reflection of how unjust a lot of the world feels right now. If any encouragement is needed to order Fenian, the lads reminded us their last album was kept off number one slot by Taylor Swift, and as they point out, it’ll really piss off Keir Starmer. If that’s not reason enough, it sounds like it's going to be another absolute coup.
Kneecap performed at Rescue Rooms on Sunday 26 April 2026. Their third album Fenian is available to pre-order now.
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