Latest news with #BrockwellLive
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Kneecap review – rap trio remain unbowed by terror charge
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'. After this furore, footage emerged of Kneecap's November 2023 UK tour that appeared to show rapper Mo Chara on stage draped in a Hezbollah flag, shouting: 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.' Chara was charged this week with expressing support for a proscribed terrorist organisation. Kneecap said in a statement: 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves.' Indeed, these setbacks don't appear to have deflated the trio. Following English Teacher's vexed, yearning indie and CMAT's personality-plus, punky take on country and western, Kneecap emerge in front of a collage of recent TV coverage. 'Anybody been watching the news?' inquires Chara. Flanked by fellow rapper Móglai Bap and DJ Próvai, the latter clad in his usual Irish-flag balaclava, Chara reports that tonight's show only just went ahead. 'They tried to stop this gig,' he claims. 'We're being made an example of. The Israeli lobbyists are trying to prove to other artists: 'If you speak out, we're going to hit you where it hurts most.'' The trio started out eight years ago as Goldie Lookin Chain-style comedy rappers performatively lauding Irish republicanism and their own dissolute lifestyles – a style still evident in numbers such as Fenian Cunts and the Garda-baiting Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite. Chara now jokingly suggests that the 20,000-strong crowd might like to reconvene outside his hearing at Westminster magistrates court on 18 June, 'and bring a nice big bag of ketamine'. Yet the comedy would not work were Kneecap not a great live band: Rhino Ket is a pulsating electro-throb over which they celebrate being 'K-holed off my head'. They indulge their nihilistic whimsy and quest for narcotic oblivion further in Get Your Brits Out, a flight of surrealist fantasy in which they imagine a debauched night out with Arlene Foster and other former leaders of the DUP. 'Guess who's back on the news, it's your favourite republican hoods,' gurns Bap, which certainly has the virtue of accuracy. Their activism is patently heartfelt rather than posturing radical chic. Protesting again that Gaza is being 'bombed and starved', Kneecap lead one final crowd chant of 'free, free Palestine' before declaring on the closing H.O.O.D: 'Lowlife scum, that's what they say about me'. Próvai and his balaclava vanish into the moshpit. What a craic.
Western Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Kneecap announce new song ahead of headline performance at London's Wide Awake
The band, made up of Liam O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, thanked the '25,000 legends' who will be attending Friday night's performance in a post on Instagram, while revealing the new song will be released at 1pm. The band's post read: 'Well well London heads. Some day coming up. 'We've a brand new track landing in our WhatsApp channel at 1pm. 'Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one, if you've any seats left. 'Then we're at Wide Awake in Brockwell Park London for a headline show to 25,000 legends tonight.' Conservative Party leader Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned and suggested they should be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up. A number of other politicians have made the same demand. Last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after former business secretary Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister. In another post, the band showed a short clip of their soundcheck at the Brockwell Park festival. It comes after O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday. The band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street on Thursday, where O hAnnaidh could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth. He then joked about being careful what he said before adding he wanted to thank his lawyer. The rapper said: 'I need to thank my lawyer he's here tonight as well.' In video footage posted to YouTube, the band led the audience on a chant of 'free Mo Chara' and joked about the police presence at the venue. Police said they were at the central London venue on Thursday evening to manage visitors to the sold-out event. The band said on X that the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh arrives at the 100 Club for the rap trio's surprise gig (PA) On Monday, a spokesperson for several planned music festivals due to take place in Brockwell Park in Lambeth said none will be cancelled following a High Court ruling over planning permission. Last week, Rebekah Shaman, a resident in the area and a member of the Protect Brockwell Park group, successfully brought legal action against Lambeth Council over the use of parts of the park for the festivals. In a ruling last week, Mr Justice Mould said that the authority's decision to certify the planned use of the land as lawful was 'irrational'. Lawyers for Ms Shaman and the Protect Brockwell Park group wrote to the council following the ruling, asking it to 'confirm that the event has been cancelled' and to clear any fencing or infrastructure, and stating that Brockwell Live did not have planning permission. But on Monday, a spokesperson for Brockwell Live said no events would be cancelled, with Lambeth Council confirming that the event's organisers, Summer Events Limited, had reapplied for planning permission. O hAnnaidh, 27, was charged by postal requisition and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18, the Metropolitan Police said. In response to the charge, the group said in a social media statement: '14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction. 'We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? 'To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out. 'Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. 'The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command were made aware on April 22 of an online video from the event, police said. An investigation led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising the charge. Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police said Kneecap were being investigated by counter-terrorism police after videos emerged allegedly showing the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah'. The rap trio have had gigs cancelled after the footage emerged but are still listed to headline Wide Awake. Kneecap are due to perform at Wide Awake on Friday (Brian Lawless/PA) They apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. Kneecap also said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, both of which are banned in the UK. In 2024, the band released an eponymous film, starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender, a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together and follows the Belfast group on their mission to save their mother tongue through music. Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English languages, and merchandise. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.
Belfast Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Kneecap to release new track ahead of headline slot at London festival: ‘Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one'
The new music from the band comes just two days after one of their members was charged with a terror offence. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged over the alleged display of a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday. The group, who rap in the Irish language, have a headline slot at Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park, south London, later on Friday night. In a post on social media, the band said they have 'some day coming up'. "We've a brand new landing in our WhatsApp channel at 1pm,' they wrote. 'Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this you've any seats left. 'Then we're at Wide Awake in Brockwell Park London for a headline show to 15,000 legends tonight.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. The reference from the band to Ms Badenoch is part of an ongoing back and forward stretching back to last year, after Kneecap won their discrimination case against the previous government, when the Conservative leader refused the trio funding in her then ministerial role. Last year, the UK Government conceded it was 'unlawful' that the group were refused a £14,250 funding award by Ms Badenoch. Kneecap launched legal action claiming the decision to refuse the grant discriminated against them on grounds of nationality and political opinion. It comes after the band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street on Thursday, where O hAnnaidh could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth. He then joked about being careful what he said before saying he wanted to thank his lawyer. He said: 'I need to thank my lawyer he's here tonight as well.' Police said they were at the central London venue on Thursday evening to manage visitors to the sold-out event. The band said on X that the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. On Monday, a spokesperson for several planned music festivals due to take place in Brockwell Park in Lambeth said none will be cancelled following a High Court ruling over planning permission. Last week, Rebekah Shaman, a resident in the area and a member of the Protect Brockwell Park group, successfully brought legal action against Lambeth Council over the use of parts of the park for the festivals. In a ruling last week, Mr Justice Mould said that the authority's decision to certify the planned use of the land as lawful was 'irrational'. Lawyers for Ms Shaman and the Protect Brockwell Park group wrote to the council following the ruling, asking it to 'confirm that the event has been cancelled' and to clear any fencing or infrastructure, and stating that Brockwell Live did not have planning permission. But on Monday, a spokesperson for Brockwell Live said that no events would be cancelled, with Lambeth Council confirming that the event's organisers, Summer Events Limited, had reapplied for planning permission. O hAnnaidh, 27, was charged by postal requisition and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18, the Metropolitan Police said. Kneecap: A timeline of controversy and success In response to the charge, the group said in a social media statement: 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction. 'We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? 'To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out. 'Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. 'The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police said Kneecap were being investigated by counter-terrorism police after videos emerged allegedly showing the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah'. The rap trio have had gigs cancelled after the footage emerged but are still listed to headline Wide Awake. They apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. They also said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK. Ms Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned while other politicians pushed for the group to be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up.
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
All the Brockwell Park music festivals and events still going ahead this month
Despite a recent High Court ruling throwing a wrench in Brockwell Live's planning permissions, the company's Summer Festival Series is set to continue as scheduled, starting from May 23 Brockwell Park 's festival plans were put in jeopardy after a recent High Court ruling. However, Brockwell Live has confirmed that 'no event will be cancelled as a result of the High Court's decision" and that its stacked line-up of summer events will proceed as planned. Brockwell Live's 2025 Summer Festival Series will see back-to-back music festivals and events taking place in Brockwell Park between from the end of May to the beginning of June. The events range from family-friendly favourites like Brockwell Bounce to the massive annual Lambeth Country Show. Wide Awake (May 23) The Summer Series will kick off with Wide Awake, which brands itself as 'an independent festival for music fans looking for something different'. The festival launched in 2021 and is still in its infancy, but is founded by Keith Miller - the booker for London live-music venues MOTH Club and The Shacklewell Arms. The one-day event celebrates independent music and counterculture, and this year's line-up will be headlined by the Irish rap trio, Kneecap, as well as CMAT, English Teacher, Fat Dog, and Peaches. There will be over 45 artists performing at the event across 6 stages, with general admission tickets priced at £69.50. Field Day (May 24) This year Field Day returns to Brockwell Park after retreating to its initial Victoria Park venue for the last three years. Since it launched in 2007, the electronic festival has been known for its impressive line-up of rising star artists and big names acts. But its 2025 event 'marks the beginning of a new chapter'. Will you be attending a festival in Brockwell Park this year? Let us know in the comments. While the festival has faced some controversy with DJs dropping out in the last few weeks, its big headliner is sure to draw major crowds. Leading the line-up is internationally acclaimed DJ Peggy Gou, who is known for her high-energy techno and house beats. Other artists in the line-up include Fatima Yamaha, James Blake and Nicola Bear, with 'more TBA'. Tickets for general admission are priced at £89.50 Cross The Tracks (May 25) Billed as 'the ultimate destination for everything jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop' Cross The Tracks has come to be loved by many South Londoners. In its sixth year, the festival brings together one of its best line-ups to date. Big acts include the Free Nationals, Jordan Rakei, Sinead Harnett, Naomi Sharon and Somewhere Soul, with two Mercury prize -winning headliners in Michael Kiwanuka and Ezra Collective. Tickets are still available with lowest price general admission spots available for £69.50. City Splash (May 26) The bank holiday Monday is reserved for City Splash, which promises to showcase everything from 'Roots and Reggae, Dub and Dancehall, to Jungle, Garage, Afrobeats and Amapiano'. The music and culture fest will be full of great eats as well, partnering with Black Eats LDN to set up a vibrant street food and market. On the music side, the festival will be headlined by Popcaan and feature other artists including Spice, Tarrus Riley, Teejay, Nia Smith and many more. Tickets are still on available with lowest general admission starting at £69.50. Mighty Hoopla (May 31 - June 1) Mighty Hoopla, bills itself as 'the UK's biggest pop festival' and runs across two days. This year, the first day of the festival will be headlined by the iconic Ciara, with planned performances from Jade and and A*Teens. The second day will be headlined by Kesha and features performances from Erika Jayne and Loreen. The lowest price VIP Bolt-On tickets for both days are sold out but you can buy Weekend General Admission tickets from £188 on Stub Hub.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
I live near a festival site – and I love it
Brockwell Park stands at the southern end of Herne Hill in south London. Opened to the public in 1892, it still feels like a spirited reminder of Victorian philanthropy; a place where London's cultural and social divisions are eroded; a free space for joggers, tai chi practitioners, footballers, families and the occasional miscreant. In the early weeks of the pandemic, the park had to be closed due to fears of overcrowding – a sign that it's a part of everyone's lives. For many years, I have lived nearby. I've benefited from Brockwell's commanding views across the city, its lido, its beautiful walled garden. I have also been to the occasional music gig – and it's the site's use as a venue for festivals that has attracted so many headlines recently, and caused many of my neighbours much consternation. It sometimes feels as though the battle for Brockwell Park were being pitched as a battle for London's soul. In short: part of the park is closed off every year for about seven or eight weeks for a series of festivals known as Brockwell Live – this closure is for the setting-up, as well as the events themselves. The most high-profile festival is Mighty Hoopla, which brings together 2000s favourites such as Daniel Bedingfield, Samantha Mumba and Jamelia. The complainants have, inevitably, been branded Nimbys. I'm not so sure: for one thing, I'm sympathetic to their environmental concerns. The park is a haven for pipistrelles, Daubenton's bats and a variety of birds such as herons, and green-winged teals. Traffic, both human and automotive, increases horribly when major events are happening. Litter unfurls through the Victorian streets. And yet I don't oppose Brockwell Live. For one thing, I get a weird Proustian rush when I open my window and, if the wind is in the right direction, I hear the sound of Sugababes performing Push the Button. More seriously, we know that live music in Britain remains in a perilous position. The decline has been coming since the early 2000s, and was exacerbated horribly by the pandemic. In 2023, no fewer than 125 grass-roots venues closed in the UK, with escalating costs in the form of rent and utility bills the main cause. Last year, it was estimated that the music sector contributed £6.1 billion to the economy – not just because of ticket sales, but due to spending at the venue and in the local environment. Big tours, such as those undertaken by Coldplay, accounted for three-quarters of the total. But no one in that echelon plays at Brockwell Park – apart from Kneecap, who appear this weekend at Wide Awake Festival, – but they may be the Coldplays of tomorrow, and they need to hustle: their careers are reliant on events such as these, particularly in an age when streaming has critically reduced artists' revenues. The reduction of live music venues in London has also been catastrophic for youngsters who want to discover new artists, or even just have a good time. In the late 1990s, the landscape was filled with a mix of emerging talent and established names. You could crawl along Camden High Street on a Thursday night and catch five different bands (or so it seemed). I wonder how many of those venues still exist. My favourite, The Falcon, a wonderfully dingy hub for shoegazers and hyperactive indie kids, was situated on Royal College Street: it has long gone. Today, a festival at a London park feels about as close to the live experience I was lucky enough to have nearly 30 years ago. Of course, even these festivals aren't what they once were. Brockwell Live is promoted by Superstruct, a multinational company which is in turn owned by KKR, a global investment firm. This is a long way from the heyday of the rackety independent festival. Some vanished events sound rather wonderful: I would have loved to attend the Anti-Heroin Festival at Crystal Palace Park in 1985, when Hawkwind and Spear of Destiny shared the stage with Dame Vera Lynn. Brockwell Park, too, has had its fair share of politically themed events, notably Rock Against Racism in 1978 and 1979, when attendance is thought to have been in excess of 150,000 (these were, of course, free). Mighty Hoopla's current capacity is less than 20 per cent of this. So let the music play? Brockwell Live announced earlier this week that the festivals would go ahead despite a successful legal challenge from a local campaign group. Yet certain things do need to change: I would argue that, given environmental concerns, the capacity should be reduced, and also that Superstruct should pledge a considerable donation to the Music Venue Trust. Live music is crucial to Britain's cultural infrastructure – but it's ever more becoming a tale of haves and have-nots.
