Kneecap pulled from TRNSMT over “safety concerns”, announce Glasgow replacement gig
Kneecap‘s appearance at TRNSMT has been axed over “safety concerns”, leading the band to announce a replacement gig in Glasgow.
To make up for the cancellation, the rap trio will perform at Glasgow’s O2 Academy on July 8.
“Due to concerns expressed by the Police about safety at the event, Kneecap can no longer perform at TRNSMT” 
,” the band said in a statement shared to their social media accounts.
“To the thousands of people who bought tickets, flights and hotels to see us play, we are sorry…it is out of our hands.
“Glasgow has always been a huge city for us. We’ve played there many many times, with no issues – ever. Make of that what you will.
“To try to make up for it, we will be at your O2 Academy on Tuesday July 8th.”
NME has contacted TRNSMT’s representatives for comment.
Kneecap headlined Wide Awake Festival in London last week, shortly after a warm up show at the 100 Club in the same city, without any safety issues.
During the gig, the band spoke about the controversy following their statements in support of Palestine at Coachella 2025. Following that, counter-terror police began to assess footage from a London performance last November, which led to Mo Chara being charged by the Metropolitan Police with a terror offence.
The charge relates to the musician allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a gig last year. The band have denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, and stated that they would not incite or condone violence against any individuals. They have also argued that the footage of the moment had been taken out of context.
Kneecap also described the situation a “carnival of distraction”, and have maintained it was “political policing” and that they were not the story, rather, “Genocide is”.
At Wide Awake, Chara took to the stage alongside Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí to say the charge was designed to “silence” them ahead of their performance at Glastonbury this summer.
“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,” he said at the south London event. “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 from speaking onstage at Glastonbury the way we did at Coachella. Fuck them.”
The musician – real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – is due to appear at Westminster Crown Court on June 18. He encouraged fans to gather at Westminster with “a big bag of ket” for the hearing.
Kneecap’s appearance at TRNSMT is not the only gig they have had cancelled recently, which they acknowledged onstage at Wide Awake. These include Germany’s Hurricane Festival and Southside Festivals, Cornwall’s Eden Project, and a replacement show in Plymouth.
They also referenced how MPs have called to have them removed from the line-ups of other festivals, including TRNSMT, Glastonbury and more.
“They tried to stop this gig,” Kneecap told fans at Wide Awake. “Honestly, lads, you have no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig.”
In addition, the DUP also encouraged the cancellation of Kneecap’s forthcoming gig with Fontaines D.C. in Belfast, which sold out in 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, Billy Bragg has explained why he supports Kneecap, saying that the legal action against them reflects a “disturbing and broader trend” that looks to restrict artists in rap.
At first, Bragg divided opinions by sharing his thoughts on Kneecap earlier this year by not signing an open letter in support of them as the “wording lack[ed] any sense of nuance or understanding of why this whole furore kicked off”.
“I caught some flak on here a week or two ago after explaining why I didn’t feel able to sign the artist’s letter defending Kneecap’s freedom of expression,” he began. “Some took it to mean that I didn’t support the band’s call for an end to the genocide in Gaza. That’s not the case – my problem was with the wording of the letter.
“I understand that it may have appeared to some that I was arguing semantics while atrocities were being committed, but my genuine concern is that the artists were taking a position that could undermine future efforts to hold the Israeli government to account, which is surely not their intent.”
Highlighting how he finds the “demand for free speech absolutism to be counter-productive”, he also noted how shows by Nick Cave and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood have previously been scrapped due to public pressure, and that the wording of the letter could be seen as contradictory.
Adding why he backs Kneecap amid the arrest, Bragg said: “While I believe that being an artist doesn’t absolve you from taking responsibility for your actions, I do not believe that creative expression should be subject to criminal charges.”
He continued: “The charging of Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh with a terrorism offence by the Metropolitan Police is the latest development of a disturbing and broader trend over the past few years during which the state has sought to criminalise creative expression.
“Since 2005, there have been over 100 cases in which prosecutors have put lyrics, music videos and audio recordings in front of juries to help secure criminal convictions… Specifically, police and prosecutors have used the act of writing, performing, or even engaging with rap music to suggest motive, intention, or propensity for criminal behaviour.”
He went on to share how there are vague, “sweeping definitions of ‘gang’ activity” that get thrown around when it comes to rap music, and that “music, lyrics, and videos are used to drag multiple people into criminal charges”. This, he added, “disproportionately affects young Black men and boys from under-resourced, marginalised communities”.
The post Kneecap pulled from TRNSMT over “safety concerns”, announce Glasgow replacement gig appeared first on NME.
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