Irish hip-hop group Kneecap delivered another politically charged performance during their headline slot at Reading Festival, shouting “f**** Benjamin Netanyahu” and “Andy Burnham is a w******” to the crowd.
Performing with a Palestinian flag displayed over the DJ deck, rappers Moglai Bap and Mo Chara — joined by a stand-in covering for DJ Provai following the arrival of his newborn child — kept festivalgoers jumping with tracks from 2024’s Fine Art and their latest record FENIAN, while interspersing political commentary throughout their performance.
Addressing the audience midway through their set on the closing day of Reading Festival, the band said: “It’s important to us that we use this platform for what we believe to be right, and some people aren’t as f****** lucky right now, and that’s our brothers and sisters in Palestine.
“So I just need to take some time to show some solidarity as Irish people; we understand displacement, colonialism and forced starvation of a population that we see right now in Palestine.
“So just remember how lucky we all are to be in a field with all our best f****** mates listening to tunes, and let’s be thinking at the same time about our Palestinian brothers and sisters, so f*** Benjamin Netanyahu, and free, free Palestine!”
In a second speech, the band encouraged the crowd to call the new Prime Minister a “wanker”.
They said: “Andy Burnham said a united Ireland is off the table, so everybody: ‘Andy Burnham’s a wanker.’”
The set also included hits from 2018’s 3cag, as well as 2019 single Get Your Brits Out.
The band’s controversy precedes them, with member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed terror organisation Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, on 21 November 2024.
But the case was thrown out in September last year, with chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruling the proceedings were “instituted unlawfully”, with a subsequent appeal by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) being dismissed by two High Court judges in March this year.
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Closing their set, Kneecap performed “THE RECAP”, their 2025 track which confronts the media scrutiny and political backlash the band faced for their pro-Palestine stance and police investigations.
Set to a drum and bass backdrop by collaborator Mozey, they ended the festival with a crowd as bouncing and energetic as ever.
Earlier in the day, singer Lola Young played a secret set on the main stage, performing her hit song Messy in a Vivienne Westwood bodysuit with her signature statement earrings.
Also headlining the final day of the festival were drum and bass duo Chase & Status, known for hits such as 2023’s “Baddadan” and 2017’s “All Goes Wrong”.
London indie rock stalwarts Florence + The Machine also took to the main stage earlier in the evening, with singer Florence Welch serenading the crowd with songs such as “Everybody Scream”, “Shake It Out” and “You Got The Love”, with Idles’ Mark Bowen on guitar.
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