Kneecap fans charged €30 for balaclavas and ‘free Mo Chara' tshirts at Dublin gig

Sunday World

4 hours ago

Fans who did buy them at official merchandising stalls may feel they got a bit of a bargain as the same items are fetching over €110 online.
KNEECAP fans are not only lapping up their music but also their imaginative merchandising.
Woolen Irish tricolour balaclavas, as famously sported by band member DJ Provai, were on sale at last night's gig in Dublin's Fairview Park for €30.
Many fans took delight wearing them, with security signs on nearby entrances earlier anticipating the craze by signalling: 'Balaclavas may be worn but please show your face if asked by security staff'.
Kneecap
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Fans who did buy them at official merchandising stalls may feel they got a bit of a bargain as the same items are fetching over €110 online.
Kneecap t-shirts, primarily in black, were also generally priced at €30.
The most popular one being snapped up had 'Free Mo Chara' on its front, in obvious reference to band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh's current court case in London.
Tshirts on sale at the gig
This was the group's first show since Liam's appearance at a magistrates court in London on Wednesday on alleged incitement of terrorism charges (for displaying a Hezbollah flag at a gig in the British capital several months ago), with his case being put back until August while he's released on unconditional bail.
Other t-shirts read 'Kneecap: England get out of Ireland' and 'Take these yokes and we'll go for a dance'.
A Kneecap hoodie was on sale for €70 and shorts for €40.
There was also a separate stall selling pro-Palestinian items.
Much of the marketing ideas are originated by the band's enterprising Dubliner manager Daniel Lambert.
Daniel is also the C.E.O. of Bohemians FC, where he has had a phenomenal success of bringing sales of merchandising of replica jerseys from just over €100,000 a year to an estimated €2 million.
A sign on display at the gig
The jerseys, many of which are bought online from abroad, have already have themes such as Bob Marley (who played in Dalymount Park in 1980), 'Refugees Welcome' and 'Fontaines DC'. Environmentalist Greta Thunberg was spotted wearing a Bohs' Fontaines DC on her recent attempted boat trip to Gaza.
'I'm a free man', announced Liam as he took to the stage last night, to whoops of support from the sold-out crowd of 8500 who packed out a giant marquee.
Free Mo Chara tshirts were on sale
Liam also later wryly stressed that 'I'm not the first lad from west Belfast' that ended up in a British court.
The band also highlighted that while their fans got to enjoy an exhilarating show they should also contemplate about Palestinians being slaughtered in Gaza and the West Bank.
Balaclavas on sale online
The group too paid a touching tribute to their late lightning designer Conor Biddle, offering sympathy to his family and husband Sean.
Kneecap will play Glastonbury on Saturday of next weekend, where they're expected to have one of the biggest crowds of the famous festival given not just the curiosity, they're attracting for being perhaps the most high-profile anti-establishment act at the moment but also because their catchy and thought-provoking music is attracting a growing army of fans.