It’s been three years since controversial Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap last played Nottingham, performing to what they say was 30 people, now they have just put on a show at a packed-out Rock City.
From their debut on the big screen and dropping their latest project, this year has been one to remember for the Belfast boys, with this tour topping off a year in which they have gained a level of success they admittedly never believed would happen, all culminating in a nomination for best independent film at the British film awards.
The group who are touring on the back of their latest release ‘Fine Art’, which released earlier this year and was praised for its originality and rawness, truly brought their unfiltered and ‘parful’ energy to this live show.
Fellow Irish native, and pop artist Gemma Dunleavy opened the gig with her unique sound which pulls from genres such as garage/RnB but also uses traditional instrumentation.
Beautiful harp progressions were ladened throughout her set and her dreamy voice and club bangers got the already full crowd really in the mood for what was to come.
As the sweaty crowd, many donning DJ Próvaí’s iconic Irish flag balaclava were waiting somewhat patiently, the lights finally dimmed and album opener ‘3Cag’ (a cheeky reference to MDMA) faded in from the background.
The masked DJ appeared from beneath the decks to rapturous crowd applause, before bringing out his partners in (metaphorical) crime, Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap to run through some early Kneecap bangers such as the Cypress Hill reminiscent ‘Amach Anocht’ and the deliberately provocative ‘Fenian *****’.
The Grian Chatten featuring banger ‘Better way to live’ was played; Móglaí called for a helping hand for the chorus, which the crowd didn’t really need to be prompted for as it is a fan favourite tune, it was belted out by the Rock City goers louder than any other tune.
The fully hooded MC Mo Chara said: “Nottinum, this is one of the best of the tour so far”
“Surprising cause last time we was here, there was about 30 people here” he added laughingly, referring to their Bodega show all the way back in 2021, it seemed to be a rare reflective moment for the trio noting how far they’d come.
After rolling through some deep cuts, the latter end of the show was a non-stop crowd-pleaser extravaganza, starting with the ‘Fine Art’ bassline-infused track ‘I bhFiacha Linne’ to the politically fiery ‘Get your Brits out’.
Before the explosive end of the gig, which was soundtracked by the group’s most popular song- the finale to their award-nominated film- ‘H.O.O.D’, the band made their stance on some political issues clear.
Chants of “Maggie’s in a box” rang throughout the gig and towards the end of the show, shouts of “free Palestine” were led by the trio, which were repeated back for minutes on end.
The now topless Móglaí spoke passionately about the issues surrounding both Ireland and Palestine, drawing comparisons between the two nations’ history- the MC has raised over £30,000 for food parcels to be sent to Gaza by running 10k every single day whilst on tour.
He then jumped into the crowd for the last song, performing it in its entirety in the midst of adoring fans.
This Kneecap show truly lived up to the hype the group have acquired, with Rock City’s social pages calling it “one of the gigs of the year”.
The group still have UK dates for this year including shows in London, Derry and Newcastle.
This is on top of performing at a string of festivals next year, from headlining Wideawake Festival to just being announced on the Coachella lineup, the republican rabble-rousers are on an unforgettable run and are one of the must-see acts of this generation.