Latest news with #MoglaiBap
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Kneecap will still headline 2000trees despite recent controversy
Kneecap will still headline 2000trees as planned. The Irish rap group have come under fire in recent weeks after a string of controversies, but the annual festival in Cheltenham, UK have confirmed they will remain co-headliners with PVRIS on the second day of the July 9-12 event. In a post on Instagram, they wrote: "After loads of speculation and numerous requests from the press of late, we are happy to confirm that YES! Kneecap are still headlining the Thursday at 2000trees this July. 'If their recent shows in London are anything to go by, this promises to be one of the most memorable headline sets we've ever had at 2000trees. 'Do not miss it – Glasto is obviously sold out we're not far behind – so if you want to see the most talked about band in ages, you need to bag a 2000trees ticket before they all sell out!" Other headliners set across the four-day event include Hot Milk, Taking Back Sunday, Coheed and Cambria, and Alexisonfire. Kneecap - made up of Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Provai - are no strangers to 2000trees, but organisers have promised "something else entirely" for their headline set. They continued: "You may have even seen Kneecap at 2000trees before, this will be their 3rd visit after all. "But headlining the main stage this summer is going to be something else entirely! "We will ALL be there in the pit with you for one of the most exciting, fun and historic sets you'll see this summer." Earlier on Wednesday (28.05.25), it was confirmed that Kneecap's TRNSMT performance the same week as 2000trees has been cancelled. A festival spokesperson told NME: "Due to concerns expressed by the Police about safety at the event, Kneecap will no longer perform at TRNSMT on Friday July 11. We thank fans for their understanding.' Last week, the trio headline London's Wide Awake Festival - which followed a warm-up show at the 100 Club - and both events happened without any safety issues. Last week, Mo Chara - real name Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh - was charged with a terror offense in the UK, as London's Metropolitan Police accused him of "displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah" at O2 Forum gig in London in November 2024. Following the investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charge, with both Hamas and Hezbollah banned in the UK, while it is a crime to express support for either of them. The group insisted they have never support either organisation. They also claimed another video - in which they allegedly told a London crowd "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP" - was taken "out of context".
The National
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Why Kneecap aren't going to change their tune on Palestine
Irish band Kneecap took London's Oxford Street by storm last week, just hours after it was announced that one of their number faced terrorism charges in England for allegedly expressing support for Hezbollah and Hamas. Crossover recognition is something of a holy grail in the world of popular music. Think Beyonce and her country single last year. Kneecap have done this with politics, and it is a sign of the times both in their country and across the global sphere. To understand how a rap group that performs in the Irish language could have become a global ticket, I think you need to go back to what made them. First, the name of the name of the band is evocative of the Irish Troubles, the 30 years of terrorism that put British control of Northern Ireland on the global agenda. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) had a particular way of punishing its dissenters and that has been recycled in the name of the band. In that fight, there was a particular phenomenon of the tout – a person who informed on IRA activity to the security forces . There was an immense stigma within the community against the idea of someone selling out to the oppressor. The fate of those blamed for doing this was gun to the back of knee that blew off the kneecap. Thirty years later, it is now in the pop culture, though I would guess few of the tens of thousands that throng the bands venues have thought through what their name is about. The three members – Mo Chara, DJ Provai and Moglai Bap, whose real names are Liam Og O hAnnaidh, JJ O Dochartaigh and Naoise O Caireallain, respectively – saw their upbringings shaped by Gaelicisation of parts of the nationalist community in cities like Belfast. Indeed, Moglai Bap's father, Gearoid O Caireallain, was an activist for the cause of promoting the Irish language, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s. His death last year undoubtedly a major point of transition for the group. Irish President Michael D Higgins paid tribute to the loss of this 'major figure'. The cause goes on, and while Mo Chara has a court date of June 18 in Westminster Magistrates Court, the band continue to perform. After Oxford Street, it was Brockwell Park in south-east London. The festival crowd were given a defiant message: that the group's support for the Palestinian cause would not be bowed or broken by prosecution. Indeed, to the band the word prosecution is synonymous with persecution. 'We're being made an example of,' declared Mo Chara on the stage of the Wide Awake Festival. 'The Israeli lobbyists are trying to prove to other artists: 'If you speak out, we're going to hit you where it hurts most'. 'Believe me lads, I wish I didn't have to do this," he added. "But the world's not listening. The world needs to see solidarity of 20,000 people in a park in London chanting, 'Free, free Palestine!'" It is a message that the group has made no bones about since the latest conflict in Gaza erupted. From their perspective, the Gaza plight is a war of oppression every bit as grim and crushing as that waged on Ireland over centuries. Giving voice to the rejection of that onslaught is something natural and obvious for Kneecap. Steeped in violence and its consequences, Kneecap, as the name suggests, do not shy away from defiance. Having performed at the US festival Coachella and proclaimed Israel was committing genocide in Gaza with US backing, the group faced calls for a US visa ban. The television celebrity Sharon Osbourne led the calls to ban the group from the US for open support of terrorist organisations. In the UK, the profile of Kneecap has grown far beyond the subject matter of their material. They vigorously contest the allegations against them. The June 18 charge related to a performance in November, when Mo Chara allegedly displayed a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah. The group has apologised to the families of the murdered MPs David Amess and Jo Cox after another onstage snippet was discovered, in which one of the group declared: "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP." Kneecap claim the clip has been exploited and weaponised against them. The court appearance next month is therefore just one more way station in the controversial career of Kneecap. Their essential point is that they are not responsible for the tens of thousands that have died in Gaza. Their radical views are a product of the culture and beliefs that formed them, and any type of establishment criticism or police action serves to reinforce their outlook. The image of the band is, in mainstream terms, defiant, and that chimes with festival goers who want to give expression to their outrage over the images they see of what is happening in Gaza. Elton John, another music luminary, commented the other day that it was unusual for a band to bring politics to the stage when he praised Kneecap. Terrorism charges have followed but Kneecap will continue to assert its politics. Politics is their lifeblood because of where they grew up and the people around them. Don't expect court appearances to make any difference to that singular fact.
Malay Mail
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
‘We're being made an example of': Irish trio Kneecap accuses Israeli lobby of trying to silence pro-Palestine artists
LONDON, May 25 – Irish rap group Kneecap performed their first shows this week since member Mo Chara was charged with a terror offence in the United Kingdom, claiming authorities tried to cancel the gigs. Kneecap had played a last-minute show at London's 100 Club on Thursday, before headlining the Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park on Friday night — while claiming that the pro-Israel lobby is trying to make an example out of them. 'We are being made an example of. The Israeli lobbyists are trying to prove to other artists that if you speak out, we're going to hit you where it hurts most,' said rapper Moglai Bap as reported by music magazine Rolling Stone. 'They're trying to cancel gigs, they're trying to cancel my freedom of travel, and the fact that I'm speaking to this amount of people, and I assume the majority of people agree, shows that we're on the right side of history.' Earlier, the report said the group opened with the same political message used at Coachella last month: 'Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the British government.' Rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara, alleged that authorities had tried to stop the concert. 'They tried to stop this gig. Honestly lads, you've no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig,' he reportedly said. He was previously charged for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert last year — which him and the band has denied. Ó hAnnaidh claimed the timing of his charge was politically motivated, alleging authorities wanted to prevent their Glastonbury appearance next month. 'The reason it was that quick is because Glastonbury is just around the corner. They're trying to silence us.' Last month, the group said they are facing a 'coordinated smear campaign' following their statements at the Coachella music festival condemning what they described as the ongoing genocide against Palestinians. Kneecap said the attacks against them, mainly originating from the United States, were based on 'deliberate distortions and falsehoods', and that they were taking action against several of these efforts.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kneecap brazenly mock the police and lead singalong about the death of Margaret Thatcher at latest London show - even after member was charged with terror offence
Controversial rappers Kneecap have brazenly mocked the police, Kemi Badenoch and the death of Margaret Thatcher even after one of their members was charged with a terror offence A sold-out central London crowd on Thursday night was treated to provocative chants about the deceased former Tory prime minister while the band's latest release yesterday took aim at the party's current leader. The Northern Irish group consisting of Mo Chara, DJ Provai and Moglai Bap held a last-minute gig at The 100 Club on Oxford Street ahead of a headline appearance at a London festival. The band encouraged the crowd to shout 'Free Palestine ' as well as sing a rendition of 'Maggie's in a box' to the tune of KC and the Sunshine Band's 'Give It Up'. Many attendees joined in to bellow the sickening chant whilst others filmed or waved their hands to the beat. It was not the first time they have repeated the song about Mrs Thatcher, who died in 2013 and whose ashes were buried beside those of her husband, Sir Denis. Last month, the US music festival Coachella saw its official livestream temporarily censored as the same raucous melody was unexpectantly filmed live. And yesterday Kneecap released a new song, The Recap, mocking Kemi Badenoch's attempts to block their arts funding while in government and the Conservative Party's subsequent election loss. The song opens with a sample of a news report about the counter terrorism police investigation into the group. Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam O'Hanna, faces a charge for the alleged display of a flag in support of a proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year. Speaking to the crowd on Thursday, he said: 'There's a lot of police inside this venue tonight, they're making a lot of money for doing f*** all. 'You should all be thanking me for overtime, listen I'm feeding your kids, jobs for the boys. 'We're from the north of Ireland, we're very used to the British establishment bringing people from the north, trying to get them into their English jails, for stuff they didn't do. 'They've done it before and they're trying to do it again.' With the band set to take on Wide Awake festival at Brockwell Park last night, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Robert Jenrick said: 'In November last year Kneecap glorified Hamas and Hezbollah at their London gig. 'That should disqualify them from being booked by festivals and venues. The rap trio have been involved in a series of high-profile controversies in response to the war in Gaza, which has seen them banned from concerts and calls for their Glastonbury set this summer to be axed 'If a band were to glorify a proscribed far-right group, action would have been taken. 'The organisers should hang their heads in shame.' Former Tory party leader Iain Duncan Smith added: 'They're after a reaction but the truth is they're just an obscure group. 'They're just self-publicists attempting to shock people so that they all go how terrible and other people think they might go listen to them. 'They will sink back into obscurity when people get tired of their attempts to constantly raise their profile. 'They try to be as shocking as possible... Nobody can really remember a single thing they've played and so they want to be known for something else.'
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Kneecap claims terrorism charge is a ‘witch-hunt' to prevent Glastonbury performance
Irish rap group Kneecap has claimed a terrorism charge against one of their members is part of a campaign to stop them from performing at Glastonbury this summer. 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 trio called the charge 'political policing', which was intended to suppress criticism of Israel 's actions in Gaza. The band put on a surprise London performance on Thursday at the 100 Club on Oxford Street, announcing the impromptu gig just hours after the charge. Kneecap said on X that the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. In videos posted on social media, O hAnnaidh could be seen 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. 'There's a reason why what's happened to me, happened before Glastonbury,' O hAnnaidh said on stage. 'There's a reason they're trying to f**king stop me speaking at Glastonbury in front of the UK.' Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said: 'They want to stop what we're doing, because they want us to stop protesting.' He added: 'There's 60,000-plus dead in Gaza right now. That's the real story, it's not about us.' O hAnnaidh added: 'The reason that we are being witch-hunted here is because we at Coachella spoke about this about the genocide. We're not the f**king story here, they're using us as a scapegoat not to talk about the real f**king issue.' Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police said they were at the venue to manage visitors to the sold-out event. When announcing the gig on social media, the post contained a quote from former Sex Pistols singer John Lydon, who told ITV's Good Morning Britain, 'Maybe they need a bloody good kneecapping,' in response to a video which appeared to show one of the members saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' The group apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. O hAnnaidh, 27, was charged by postal requisition and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 18 June. 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.' 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 Hezbollah'. They said they have 'never supported' Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK.
