Kneecap hit out at John Swinney at Glasgow gig: “They can’t stop us”
Kneecap have hit out at First Minister John Swinney during a recent gig in Glasgow, and addressed being dropped from the TRNSMT line-up.
The show, held at the O2 Academy in Glasgow, was locked in by the Irish hip-hop trio shortly after they were dropped from the line-up for TRNSMT festival. Their names were removed from the 2025 festival bill following controversy around member Mo Chara allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a 2024 live show.
While the band have denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, and stated that they would not incite or condone violence against any individuals, Chara was forced to appear in court after being charged by the Metropolitan Police with a terror offence and pressure came from MPs for events and festival organisers to stop them from playing live.
After they were dropped from TRNSMT, their show at the O2 Academy sold out in just 80 seconds (as per BBC). While at the performance yesterday (July 8), the trio used their time on stage to call out Swinney, who was among those who called for them to be dropped from the TRNSMT line-up.
“What’s your first minister’s name?” Mo Chara asked, before adding: “They stopped us playing TRNSMT, but they can’t stop us playing Glasgow.”
They also said that although the row around their TRNSMT set saw their shows described by some as “hate-fests”, they ironically were looking for more inclusion and tolerance.
Like seen on stage at Glastonbury (which they still played despite calls from Prime Minister Keir Starmer to have them removed from the bill), the trio led a chant at their Academy show against the PM, and tied this in with a performance of their new song ‘The Recap’, which sees them rap about their court battle with the UK government over funding.
They also used the live show to criticise Israel, and state that his comments applied to “the government” in Israel, not “the people”.
As per a report by the BBC, a small group of pro-Palestine demonstrators were seen gathered around the venue as the band arrived, showing their support for the trio.
Before the gig, Scottish police issued a statement regarding the group and said that measures had been put in place around the city for all the upcoming events this week. “A proportionate and considered policing plan is in place within the city,” they said. “And we are working with a number of stakeholders to ensure the safety of all those attending these events and, where possible, minimise disruption to the people of Glasgow.”
The comments aimed at Swinney come as the SNP leader spoke at the Scottish Trades Union Congress earlier this year and called for the band to be removed from the TRNSMT line-up.
“The language that you have put to me is completely and utterly unacceptable. There is no way that is acceptable. It’s beyond the pale,” he said. “I think it makes it incredibly difficult for a band like Kneecap to perform at TRNSMT, because I think they have crossed a line. It would be unacceptable to me for the band to perform on such a stage.”
More recently, the trio played a huge slot at Finsbury Park, opening for Fontaines D.C., and also used that show to again speak out in support of Palestine and address the legal issues faced by Mo Chara. “It’s nice to be back in London and not be up in court… It’s been a mad few weeks, lads,” he said.
“It’s inhumane, I’m thinking of new things to say during a genocide,” he continued, before speaking about people in Gaza being starved and bombed from the sky. “It doesn’t matter how big or small our audience is, we will always use our platform.”
The rapper appeared in court on June 18, just days before the Worthy Farm festival, and was given unconditional bail. The band also defended their “satirical” past concerts, arguing that it is not their job to “tell people what’s a joke and what’s not”.
The post Kneecap hit out at John Swinney at Glasgow gig: “They can’t stop us” appeared first on NME.
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