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Irish Examiner
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Tom Dunne: When Kneecap's 'exciting fun world' strayed into the 'real, no craic at all' world
Kneecap, over the course of the last six months, became our 'family band'... the most requested on long drives, the one band we all agreed on. They and Fontaines DC. But the Fontaines weren't teaching my children Irish, so Mo Chara & Co nudged it. Hence, when they caught the world's attention at Coachella, my reaction was one of almost parental discomfort. 'What have those young bucks done now?' I exclaimed. 'It'll be doom they bring upon themselves,' I cautioned. And it had all been going so well. I'd been the one who introduced them to the family. 'It's political, it's exciting, its hip hop and, incredibly, unbelievably, it's in Irish,' I told them. 'What's not to like?' Slight concerns about the historical discrepancies, the juxtaposition of eras, a character being called Bobby Sandals, the IRA as bumbling incompetent drug dealers, I kept to myself. 'This is what freedom looks like,' I thought. 'This is post Good Friday. It's Kneecap's Norn Iron now.' My young music fans took to it with an enthusiasm I haven't seen since we secured a supply of In The Night Garden toys in 2010. In the week before her oral Irish exam, the older one memorised most of the album. We'll find out in autumn if she performed 3CAG in the exam. Then Coachella happened. I was consulted. 'What do you make of this, Da?' asked the local fanbase. 'It would have been better for them if they hadn't,' I said, dad-like. 'Gigs might get cancelled, tours ruined. And reducing a complex thing to a slogan is never good.' We all nodded sagely. Kneecap at City hall, Cork City on February 12, 2025. Pic Larry Cummins But I knew Kneecap's 'exciting, fun world' had just strayed into the 'real, no craic at all' world. Antennae were twitching, sleeping dogs awakening. It was that moment in a John Connolly book where the evil guy opens one eye. I then gave lengthy explanations of history to help set Kneecap's comments in context. 'This didn't start on October 7,' I said. I may have lost them around the 1947 UN resolution 181 but I think, by then, they had appreciated how complex it all was. Then the doom arrived. The clear-eyed certainty, the venom of their accusers was startling. It had been a while since so many, mostly British, politicians, with little or no say in anything important in their own constituencies, had seen something they could be so self-righteous about. Informed commentators were soon pointing out the worst offenders. Like those arguing against Kneecap's songs who, at the same time, were lobbying for the return of loyalist marches to Catholic areas; lobbying for the rights of loyalists to sing about marching 'in Fenian blood' outside Catholic homes. Soon police in Britain were trawling through footage of old Kneecap gigs with a level of urgency not seen since the 9/11 attacks. Oh, damn this mobile phone age. Kneecap, high on adrenalin and the energy of such sudden success, playing to ever-increasing audiences, had at times gotten carried away. Who'd have thunk? Members of Kneecap, Liam Og O Hannaidh (Mo Chara), JJ O Dochartaigh (DJ Provai), and Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap) attending the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) Awards Ceremony at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre. Some of what they said was stupid and crass. Apologies were made but a Hezbollah flag at a gig last November saw them charged with a terrorism offence by the Metropolitan Police. They have described this as 'political policing'. Mo Chara will appear before magistrates on June 18. As the witch-hunt continued, the news from Gaza grew ever more grim. And any kind of dissenting voice was greeted with ever more hysterical claims of antisemitism. As the horrors worsened, the discussion tightened. It is sickening. But one part of my doom prediction has proven spectacularly wrong. Some gigs have been cancelled but Kneecap's popularity is surging. They will play the West Holts stage at Glastonbury on June 28 and the AVO Arena Wembley on September 18 — their biggest show yet. Here, there is a gig in Fairview in June and one in Belfast on August 29 at Boucher Road Fields with Fontaines DC. At the Belfast gig, they will play to an estimated 40,000 people. That's 40,000 people in Northern Ireland singing 'Get your Brits out', as Gaeilge. Be still my beating heart. My younger daughter also loves Kneecap. She and her friends were in my car after the Rewind gig in Dublin. 'So, Kneecap can get put on trial,' I heard one of them say, 'but a government that kills 19,000 children isn't. How is that right?' Go on, you answer the girl. I'm all out. Read More Kneecap set to perform at Glastonbury Festival as line-up confirmed
Perth Now
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Fontaines D.C. and Kneecap announce outdoor Belfast gig
Fontaines D.C. will be joined by fellow Irishmen Kneecap at Belfast Vital 2025. The 'Starburster' rockers have announced a huge outdoor gig at Boucher Road Playing Fields on August 29, as part of the 2025 festival in Northern Ireland. Fans who sign up to their mailing list before 8am on Wednesday (23.04.25) will be able to gain early access to tickets. A general sale will follow on Friday (25.04.25). Fontaines - who just announced a show with another Irish act, Lankum, at the Home of Guinness in Dublin on May 25 - have a couple of gigs with Kneecap this year. Kneecap are among the stacked bill joining Grian Chatten and co at London's Finsbury Park on Saturday, July 5. And at their massive Manchester concert at Wythenshawe Park on August 15. Amyl and the Sniffers, Blondshell, Been Stellar, and Cardinals will also join Fontaines in London. Fontaines — completed by guitarists Conor Curley and Carlos O'Connell, bassist Conor Deegan III, and drummer Tom Coll — broke onto the scene in 2019 with their debut album 'Dogrel'. Their fourth studio album 'Romance' found widespread success last summer, peaking at No. 2 in the Official UK Album Chart, and earned them two Grammy nods. The band are amid their mammoth sold-out 'Romance' world tour, with the next stop in Denver, Colorado on April 22.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fontaines D.C. Share Surprise New Song ‘It's Amazing To Be Young': Listen
Fontaines D.C. have dropped 'It's Amazing To Be Young,' their first slice of new material since the release of fourth LP Romance last August. Produced by James Ford, the song will be available on limited edition 7' vinyl on April 18, alongside another new track entitled 'Before You I Just Forget.' The release is available to preorder now via the Dublin band's website. More from Billboard Rico Nasty Announces Rock-Infused Album 'Lethal' Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' Holds No. 1, 'Luther' Hits New Peak on ARIA Chart J. Cole References Donald Trump's Assassination Attempt on Dreamy Track 'Clouds': Listen 'It's Amazing To Be Young' was written in the presence of guitarist Carlos O'Connell's child, the band have shared. 'It sounded more like a lullaby or a music box then, but with the same lyric – 'it's amazing to be young',' explained bassist Conor Deegan III in a press release. 'The feeling of hope a child can give is profound and moving, especially for young men like us. That sense of wanting to create a world for them to grow up in happily,' he continued. 'It's a feeling that fights against the cynicism that can often overtake us in the modern world. So we wanted to declare which side we were on – it really is amazing to be young. 'We are still free, and want to make that feeling spread,' he continued. 'We want to protect it for the others around us, and maybe in doing that, we can also help protect it for ourselves.' The track precedes a huge summer of live activity for Fontaines D.C., who will perform U.K. outdoor shows in Manchester, Newcastle, Cardiff and London, with the latter taking place at the capital's 45,000-capacity Finsbury Park. The run will follow spring headline tours around Asia, Australia, South America and North America. It arrives accompanied by a video from the BAFTA-winning filmmaker Luna Carmoon who previously directed the videos for Fontaines D.C.'s 'Here's The Thing' and 'In The Modern World'. Watch the clip in full below. 'I love this new track – it's one of my favourites Fontaines have done and I love that I got to complete the trilogy of videos for it,' Carmoon said. 'It was all natural and kind of a surprise that the three videos came together. I've got to work with such a beautiful team and was really given the space and breath to create the worlds that automatically came to me when hearing the music.'Upon the release of Romance, Fontaines D.C. achieved their fourth consecutive top 10 studio album on the U.K.'s Official Albums Chart, while it landed at No. 97 in the U.S. – their highest entry to date on the Billboard 200. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
