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Extra.ie
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Kneecap release new t-shirts ahead of court date
Kneecap have released new t-shirts on their website after band member Mo Chara was handed a terrorism charge, as they stated 'good lawyers aren't cheap.' The rapper, whose real name is Liam Óg ÓhAnnaidh, has been charged after displaying a Hezbollah flag at one of the band's concerts at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, last November. 27-year-old Mo Chara is due to appear at Westminister Magistrates' Court in London on June 18. Kneecap have released new t-shirts on their website after band member Mo Chara was handed a terrorism charge, as they stated 'good lawyers aren't cheap.' Pic: Nils Jorgensen/REX/Shutterstock Taking to social media on Saturday, the band shared details of the latest garment to hit their store front, a black t-shirt with the words 'FREE MO CHARA' on the front in bold white. 'Well well a Chairde Gael,' the band shared, 'The Met police have gone and hit Mo Chara with a terrorism charge for allegedly holding a flag… 'Here's a wee t-shirt to show your support! Wear it proudly… the few quid will help us too… good lawyers aren't cheap.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32) They added: 'What a world… Murdering children will land your illegal state in the eurovision song contest, mentioning a ceasefire and calling out a genocide will lead to worldwide condemnation, a terrorism charge and the cancellation of gigs. 'FREE PALESTINE.' The latest comes after the band were pulled from Scottish festival, TRNSMT, due to 'concerns expressed by the Police.' A statement from Police Scotland said officers 'highlighted the potential reaction of such a large audience to this band would require a significant policing operation in order to support the delivery of a safe event.' The band issued an apology via X, stating: 'We've played there [Glasgow] many many times, with no issues — ever. Make of that what you will.' As a means 'to try to make up for it,' the band scheduled a replacement gig at the O2 Academy in July.
Leader Live
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Royston Club to release 'Songs for the Spine' album
After achieving a number 16 chart breakthrough with their debut album, The Royston Club are now targeting far bigger ambitions with the news that they will release their new album 'Songs For The Spine' on August 8. They will launch the album alongside the new single 'Glued To The Bed' and also announce details of their biggest UK headline tour to date, which features their largest London show so far at the O2 Forum Kentish Town. A great debut album will only get you so far. It's what you do next that really counts - and The Royston Club are now excelling on every front. Recent sold-out live shows have demonstrated the growing scale and fervent passion of their devoted following. Vitally, the recent singles 'Shivers' and 'The Patch Where Nothing Grows' also signpost their creative evolution. 'Songs For The Spine' builds on the sonic DNA of their debut, but is bigger, more experimental and more heartfelt too. The album was produced by Rich Turvey (Blossoms, Rachel Chinouriri), who helped the band unlock some of the raw, natural energy that powers their live show. Royston Club guitarist Ben Matthias said: 'All of these songs are about people and places we love. These people and these places are the things that keep you standing through whatever happens. "There's the classic songs about our relationships with our girlfriends, but on the flipside there's even a song about me going home to Wrexham and feeling guilty because I'd forgot that the speed limits had changed in Wales, which shows how long it had been since I'd last been there!' Ben adds: 'With 'Glued To The Bed', I wanted to write about the cynicism towards love that heartbreak can bring, the bittersweet memory of a relationship and the raw aftermath of a breakup. "It's about the push and pull between needing to forget and wanting to hold on to what was lost, about how grief can become your entire atmosphere and distort your sense of self. "Looking back, I see a lot of what I wrote as a defense mechanism after being hurt. I dismiss love as this pretentious, performative thing and in the chorus I sound afraid, pleading for the next relationship not to leave me in the same state.' TOP STORIES TODAY 'Songs For The Spine' is now available to pre-order / pre-save HERE. The album will also be available on standard vinyl, CD, cassette and digital formats. UK fans who pre-order the album from the band's official store will receive access to a pre-sale for tour tickets. This will open at 10am BST on Tuesday, May 27th and will remain live until remaining tickets go on general sale from 10am on Thursday, May 29th. 2025 has already seen The Royston Club - completed by Tom Faithfull (vocals/guitar), Dave Tute (bass) and Sam Jones (drums) - play select live shows. A big headline set at Liverpool Sound City; an instantly sold-out underplay at London's Omeara; three rammed low-key homecoming shows in Wrexham; and a set as part of Wrexham FC's celebrations following their promotion to the Championship. Their upcoming tour includes major festival dates across the UK and Europe, and shows as guests to big names The Lathums, Bloc Party and Travis, before their autumn headline tour gets underway. Their 'Songs For The Spine' tracklist is as follows;
Daily Mirror
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Kneecap urge fans to attend court as they say 'we're on right side of history'
Irish rap trio Kneecap have put out a message to their fans to join them outside Westminster Magistrates Court next month as bandmember Liam O'Hanna was charged with terror offence Irish rap group Kneecap have defiantly taken to the stage in London where they asked fans to support them outside court next month. It comes after member Liam O'Hanna, who uses the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence this week. He is set to appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on June 18 after being charged for the alleged display of a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London last November. The band have strongly denied the charges against O'Hanna and said they will "vehemently defend" themselves against "political policing". Tonight, the group performed a headline slot at Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park, south London. While on stage, Kneecap, comprised of Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, addressed the hearing as they urged fans to gather outside the court. They said: 'If anybody's about on June 18…we're all going to gather outside the Westminster court to show support.' Addressing the crowd, the Belfast trio added: 'Anybody who's free on June 18, get a big bag of Ket and we'll go on the steps of Westminster.' Liam also directly addressed the charge against him as he said 'they are trying to silence us'. He shared: 'I went for an interview with the counter-terror police and within days they came to a verdict that they were going to charge me, never has it been that quick. And the reason it was that quick was because Glastonbury is just around the corner, they're trying to silence us.' Kneecap are due to perform at Worthy Farm on Saturday 28 June, which has been put in doubt by the charge. They also faced intense backlash following their appearance at Coachella, which is often seen as the US equivalent of Glastonbury. While on stage, the band displayed messages which read: ' Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people'; 'It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes'; and 'F*** Israel. Free Palestine'. Kneecap were also uncertain on whether their gig tonight would be pulled. As they took to the stage, they said: 'Thank you very much. They tried to stop this gig. Honestly lads you have no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig.' Liam told the crowd the band are being "made an example of". He said: "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'. 'They're trying to cancel gigs, they 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 you will agree, shows that we're on the right side of history.' Just last night, Kneecap held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street, as Liam arrived on stage with tape covering his mouth. He joked: "I need to thank my lawyer, he's here tonight as well." Following the charge, the band issued a powerful statement where they said: "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 travel ability. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare to 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. "We stand proudly with the people. You stand complicit with the war criminals. We are on the right side of history. You are not. We will fight you in court. We will win. Free Palestine."
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kneecap urge fans to gather outside Westminster courthouse with ‘big bag of Ket' as trio perform at Wide Awake festival
The message 'free Palestine' was shown on the screen and was met with cheers from the crowd. One of the group said: 'Thank you very much. They tried to stop this gig.' And one was heard saying: 'Honestly lads you have no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig.' One of the trio thanked their fans for supporting them. Liam Óg Ó 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. Members of the trio urged supporters to gather outside court for the first hearing of their bandmate. One member was heard saying: 'If anybody's about on June 18…we're all going to gather outside the Westminster court to show support.' One of the trio was heard telling the crowd: 'Anybody who's free on June 18- get a big bag of Ket and we'll go on the steps of Westminster.' Liam Ó hAnnaidh said: 'They are trying to silence us' after he was charged with a terror offence over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag. He told the crowd at Brockwell Park in south London: 'I went for an interview with the counter-terror police and within days they came to a verdict that they were going to charge me, never has it been that quick. 'And the reason it was that quick was because Glastonbury is just around the corner, they're trying to silence us.' Ó hAnnaidh told the crowd he believes the rap group are 'being made an example of'. O hAnnaidh said: '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'. 'They're trying to cancel gigs, they 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 you will agree, shows that we're on the right side of history.'
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.
