REVIEW: Kneecap mix politics and rap in Newcastle

Kneecap have fast become known as a group of outspoken Irish lads who use rap as a form of punk to spread awareness of the Irish language and to fight for the oppressed in society, and so it is no surprise that their recent gig at the O2 City Hall in Newcastle was full of chants, flags and displays showing solidarity with the people of Palestine and Ireland. They revealed on stage that the last time they performed in Newcastle, it was in front of a crowd of 30. This is a sign of their recent progress that they were now here, performing for well over 2000.

Australian rapper Miss Kaninna provided the support, with her own important message to spread. After starting a powerful chant of ‘Free Free Palestine’ with the crowd, she dedicated her song Blak Britney to the indigenous people of her homeland, who have been the victims of hate for centuries, all the way up to the recent Voice referendum which denied a political voice for the Indigenous people. Her stage presence is one of the best you’ll see from a support act, fully able to hold down an audience for a significantly longer set. Despite her high energy being the perfect way to warm up a hyper crowd, the highlight of her set came when she welcomed her younger brother on stage, who had flown out from Australia just to be there in Newcastle, to play the yidaki. More commonly known as the didgeridoo, the wind instrument is a key characteristic of the Indigenous culture, and to hear an expert performance of it in a venue of that size was a truly special experience.

Before appearing on stage, Kneecap displayed political messages on the big screen, expressing solidarity with Palestinians and criticising the British government’s support for Israel. The responded with a scattering of cheers for the awareness being raised mixed with boos aimed towards the complicity of those in charge. The next hour and a half saw the boys from the North of Ireland power through an impressive 20 song set, branching from their first ever single, the hit C.E.A.R.T.A, all the way to their latest single No Comment, which was recently debuted on the New Music Show on BBC Radio 1. They spoke passionately and articulately about the political landscape, as they explained the historic similarities between the people from their nation and the people of the North East, even leading the crowd in derogatory chants aimed towards Margaret Thatcher and Sir Keir Starmer. They also highlighted their recent legal battles, with Mo Chara referencing a case they say involved challenges from both Tory and Labour governments, expressing pride in what they described as a win for free speech.

This was very much a crowd of people that came for a show and, to nobody’s surprise, Kneecap provided just that. The audience played their part however, with a select group making the effort to start a moshpit during almost every single song. Whilst this did lead to the removal of a number of audience members and a few warnings from Kneecap themselves, the atmosphere in the room was electric from start to finish. The highlights of the show came when the members of the hip-hop trio would stop their performance and let the crowd sing their hits H.O.O.D and Get Your Brits Out with full force. As the show came to its conclusion, the lads once again spoke passionately about the message they’ve been promoting since the very beginning: the use of the Irish language. They describe it as a language that was ‘on its knees’ for a long time, and nobody has done more to reverse this than Kneecap. They explain how grateful they are to be able to perform such massive shows in England while using a language that the majority don’t even speak in their own country.

With a headline gig just announced at Crystal Palace Park, Kneecap are showing no sign of stopping their progress now as they continue to raise awareness through their performances.

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