Kneecap announce new song ahead of headline performance at London’s Wide Awake
Irish rap trio Kneecap released a new song mocking Tory leader Kemi Badenoch on Friday ahead of their headline performance at London’s Wide Awake festival, just two days after one of their members was charged with a terror offence.
The band, made up of Liam O hAnnaidh (who is being charged under the name Liam O'Hanna), Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, thanked the “25,000 legends” who had tickets for Friday night’s performance, in a post on Instagram, before releasing the track.
The band’s post read: “Well well London heads. Some day coming up.
“We’ve a brand new track landing in our WhatsApp channel at 1pm.
“Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one, if you’ve any seats left.
“Then we’re at Wide Awake in Brockwell Park London for a headline show to 25,000 legends tonight.”
Conservative Party leader Badenoch has been among those who have criticised the group for its political statements.
Last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after former business secretary Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister.
The new song, The Recap, opens with a sample of a news report about the counter terrorism police investigation into the group, and mocks Badenoch’s attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party’s election loss. The song also features DJ Mozey.
It comes after O'Hanna, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday.
The band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street on Thursday, where O'Hanna could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth.
He then joked about being careful about what he said, adding: “I need to thank my lawyer he’s here tonight as well.”
In video footage posted to YouTube, the band led the audience in a chant of “free Mo Chara” and joked about the police presence at the venue.
Police said they were at the central London venue on Thursday evening to manage visitors to the sold-out, last-minute event.
The band said on X that the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list.
O'Hanna, 27, was charged by postal requisition and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18, the Metropolitan Police said.
In response to the charge, the group said in a social media statement: “We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction."
Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command were made aware on April 22 of an online video from the event, police said.
An investigation led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising the charge.
Kneecap also said they have “never supported” Hezbollah.
In 2024, the band released an eponymous film, starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender, a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together. It was funded b £1.6m in UK taxpayers' cash.
Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English, and merchandise.