Kneecap cancels sold-out upcoming American tour as Mo Chara terror court hearing looms
Irish rap trio Kneecap say they have been forced to cancel 15 US tour dates in October due to one of their members’ upcoming UK court hearing in relation to a terror charge.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who has been charged under the name Liam O’Hanna and performs under the stage name Mo Chara, will return to Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 26, after his legal team argued the case should be thrown out due to a technical error in the way the charge was brought against him.
Prosecutors allege the 27-year-old displayed a flag in support of proscribed terror organisation Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year.
At the adjourned hearing in September, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring will rule on whether he has the jurisdiction to try the case.
In a social media post, the band has now said: “To all our US based fans we have some bad news.
“Due to the proximity of our next court hearing in London to the first date of the tour, as the British government continues its witch-hunt, we will have to cancel all 15 US tour dates in October.
“With every show fully sold out, to tens of thousands of fans, this is news we are sad to deliver.
“But once we win our court case, which we will, we promise to embark on an even bigger tour to all you great heads.”
The band said that refunds for the tour will be available from point of purchase, and promised they would be “sharing something very special” for their US fans next week which would mean “we can still link in with you all in October”.
Kneecap confirmed their four sold-out October shows in Canada, in Vancouver and Toronto, would go ahead as planned.
The band, comprised of O’Hanna, Naoise O Caireallain (Mogali Bap) and JJ O Dochartaigh (DJ Provai), were formed in Belfast and released their first single in 2017.
They were also investigated over their set at Glastonbury Festival in June, when Mogali Bap invited fans to attend O’Hanna’s court hearing and “start a riot” (a remark he retracted soon afterwards) but Avon and Somerset Police said they would be taking no further action in July.
The group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English and their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and The Recap.
The group had been due to play venues in New York, Nashville, Louisville in Kentucky, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Columbus in Ohio, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland, and Portland.