Kneecap band: UK Department for Business and Trade declines request for cash from Belfast republican band because 'they oppose the United Kingdom itself'

The band in question - Kneecap - names itself after the traditional republican paramilitary style attack on youth in west Belfast and features one member who wears a balaclava and calls himself DJ Provai - phonetically similar to the slang term for the Provisional IRA - 'Provies'.

The band prides itself for promoting republican ideology and criticising the UK and unionism.

In a statement on social media on Thursday, the band said: "We've just been informed that our application to the 'Music Growth Export Scheme' was independently approved and signed off by the selection board.

"It was then blocked directly by the UK Government who overruled the independent selection board.

"We're told that our 2019 'Farewell to the Union' Tour Poster p****d off the tories. Once again the British Government is trying to silence voices from West Belfast - once again it will fail!"

However the Department for Business and Trade, which manages the Music Growth Export Scheme, countered that it fully supports freedom of speech.

A spokesperson for Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said: “We fully support freedom of speech, but it’s hardly surprising that we don’t want to hand out UK taxpayers’ money to people that oppose the United Kingdom itself.”

An Irish-language film - Kneecap - based on the band, won the Next audience award at the Sundance film festival last month.

Based on the origin story of the trio - Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Provai - the film is set in west Belfast in 2019. Promoters say it chronicles how fate brings the trio together and how they then go on to “change the sound of Irish music forever”.

The film was produced by Jack Tarling and Trevor Birney for Fine Point Films and Mother Tongues Films, with Patrick O’Neill at Wildcard acting as co-producer.

Funding for the film was provided by Northern Ireland Screen, the Irish Language Broadcast Fund, Screen Ireland, the BFI awarding National Lottery funding, Coimisiun na Mean and TG4, with backing from Great Point Media.

It will be released in cinemas later this year.