Latest news with #HeavenlyRecordings
Extra.ie
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
KNEECAP's Wide Awake headline gig fate revealed
KNEECAP will perform as planned at this year's Wide Awake Festival in London on May 23. The festival released a statement on their social media saying that 'after positive discussions with key stakeholders, Wide Awake Festival can confirm that, as planned, KNEECAP will be performing at this years festival.' Wide Awake also added that it has 'a proud history of supporting the alternative music scene, and we look forward to staging another unforgettable event showcasing the very best emerging and established talent'. KNEECAP's headliner in Brockwell Park will mark their first live performance since Coachella, where they projected a slogan saying 'Fuck Israel, Free Palestine' that made international headlines In response to their statements at Coachella, the rap trio has faced what they have described as a 'smear campaign' from concert organisers. A series of scheduled gigs such as Eden Sessions and Plymouth Pavillions in the UK and Hurricane and Southside Festivals in Germany were cancelled. Along with the announcement, Wide Awake Festival shared a statement from KNEECAP's label Heavenly Recordings titled 'We Stand for Freedom of Expression', which included hundreds of signatories from the music industry including Fontaines D. C. and CMAT. Today, the Belfast group released the sale of T-shirts where they are depicted as 'WANTED' by UK counter-terrorism units, likely in reference to the UK police reviewing their concert footage. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32)
Irish Examiner
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
More than 100 artists express support for Kneecap amid British counter-terrorism probe
More than 100 artists have expressed their support for Kneecap and have signed an open letter in support of the Belfast trio. Fontaines DC, Annie Mac, Damien Dempsey, The Pogues, Lankum, Blindboy, Pulp, Mary Wallopers and Massive Attack are among those who have signed the letter by Heavenly Recordings – Kneecap's record label. "As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom,' reads the letter by Heavenly Recordings. "In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs that will be enjoyed by thousands of people,' they added. This comes as a several gigs by the trio have been cancelled amidst criticism following a performance at Coachella, where they displayed the message "Fuck Israel. Free Palestine' on stage. Footage also emerged from a gig in November 2023, appearing to show one band member saying 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP". Another video emerged from last year, in which a band member appears to be shouting 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah' while holding a Hezbollah flag on stage. 'Absolute conviction' Earlier this week, Kneecap's manager, Daniel Lambert, said the band was being targeted by a 'concerted campaign' which aims to silence artists who are speaking about the genocide in Gaza. On RTÉ's Prime Time, Mr Lambert said the trio have the 'absolute conviction that they are doing the right thing and they stand on the right side of history". He said a 'video didn't emerge', but rather that there 'was a concerted campaign emanating from the US to analyse every single thing that Kneecap has ever said". Mr Lambert added: "Why this happened was because of what they said at Coachella, and what they said at Coachella was the right thing to say. It's something we've said at Leeds, Reading, Glastonbury, in Dublin, in Belfast." Meanwhile, politicians in Britain are pushing for the group to be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up following the November 2023 footage which emerged. On Monday, Kneecap apologised to the families of murdered MPs but also claimed that the footage of the incident had been 'exploited'. They also added that they have never supported Hamas or Hezbollah.
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Kneecap: Green Man Festival silent on rappers' inclusion
Green Man Festival has remained silent over whether it plans to axe the group Kneecap from this year's Conservatives demanded the act be pulled after footage emerged from one of the band's performances allegedly showing them calling for MPs to be west Belfast rap trio are set to perform at the festival, held near Crickhowell, Powys, in group have the support of several artists with ties to the festival who have signed an open letter calling for artists to have freedom of expression but, despite repeated requests from the BBC, Green Man Festival has not commented. In a post on Instagram, Heavenly Recordings, Kneecap's record label, listed a number of artists who have expressed support for independent record label said in the caption: "These artists support the right to Freedom of Expression. This is an ever expanding list. If you are an artist who wishes to be added please DM us."About a quarter of the artists who have signed the open letter have played at the Green Man Festival D.C, Idles and Bicep, who signed the letter, have all played at Green Man in recent years and at least two of the acts listed have prominent spots on this year's line-up with English Teacher having signed it and Yard Act asking to be the wake of the comments, several gigs in Germany and one at the Eden Project in Cornwall have been are also due to perform at Wide Awake Festival, Glastonbury and 2000 Trees Festival. They have not said whether the band will still be performing. In early April, there were calls for Kneecap's US visas to be revoked after their performance at the Coachella music week, a video emerged from a November 2023 gig that appeared to show one person from the band saying: "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP."The footage is currently being assessed by counter-terrorism a statement posted on X, Kneecap said they rejected "any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever".They added that "an extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action".The group apologised to the families of murdered MPs Sir David Amess and Jo Cox, saying they "never intended to cause you hurt". Gareth Davies, Welsh Conservative culture, tourism and sport spokesman, said the festival "risks further inciteful comments" if Kneecap is allowed to Welsh government said it "unequivocally condemn calls for violence against any group or individual" and the festival should consider "whether it is appropriate for the act to perform".
Arab News
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Paul Weller, Primal Scream and Annie Mac back Kneecap amid political backlash over pro-Palestine message
DUBAI: English singer Paul Weller, Scottish rock band Primal Scream and Irish host and DJ Annie Mac voiced their support this week for Irish rap group Kneecap, who recently came under fire for displaying a 'Free Palestine' message during their performance at the Coachella festival in the US. The artists joined over 40 others in signing an open letter organized by Kneecap's record label, Heavenly Recordings, which condemns what it describes as a deliberate attempt to suppress the group's voice and remove them from public platforms. The backlash against Kneecap intensified after videos from past performances resurfaced — one from a November 2023 concert in London that appeared to show a member expressing support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and another in which a group member is seen shouting: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' British politician Kemi Badenoch, who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party since November 2024, has since called for legal action to be taken against the group. Meanwhile, Glastonbury Festival is facing calls to withdraw Kneecap from its upcoming lineup, and several scheduled performances, including one at the Eden Project in Cornwall, have been cancelled. In an open letter, Kneecap's label, Heavenly Recordings, claimed the group was facing a deliberate and coordinated effort to silence them and remove their presence from the music scene. The letter reads: 'As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom.' 'In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs that will be enjoyed by thousands of people.' 'Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story,' it says. 'And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British Government is the real story.' 'Solidarity with all artists with the moral courage to speak out against Israeli war crimes, and the ongoing persecution and slaughter of the Palestinian people,' the letter added.
