BBC yet to decide on showing Kneecap Glastonbury performance - but says it 'doesn't ban artists'
The BBC has yet to make a decision on whether or not it will show Kneecap’s now-certain performance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival – but maintains the corporation “doesn’t ban artists”.
This morning (3rd) it was confirmed Kneecap will appear at the UK’s biggest music festival, as Glastonbury organisers listed the controversial rap act for a mid-afternoon slot on its second day.
It comes despite a storm of controversy surrounding the band as well as calls to axe their appearance, and the prominent slot potentially opens the door to their set being shown by the BBC as part of its extensive broadcasts from the festival.
The band played Glastonbury last year, but in a much more obscure position that meant they didn’t stand a chance of hitting the nation’s screens – though their fuming fans still concocted a baseless theory that their non-appearance in TV coverage could only have been a deliberate conspiracy to silence republicans.
This year they’re to take the West Holts Stage at 4pm on Saturday, June 28. Specialising in rap, soul, R&B and reggae, West Holts is the third-largest stage in the massive festival, holding around 30,000 people – roughly a quarter of the capacity of its main Pyramid Stage.
It’s a substantial promotion on Kneecap’s appearance at last year’s festival, when they played the same stage first thing on Saturday morning, and the slot means they may feature in the BBC’s Glastonbury coverage.
The public service broadcaster not only has lengthy live and recorded highlight shows on TV and radio, but also splurges entire live sets from a host of acts across its iPlayer streaming platform. A 4pm performance on the third-largest stage could be prominent enough for a typical group to show up in BBC coverage.
But no decision has been made on what to do about Kneecap, one of whose members is facing a terror charge stemming from comments he allegedly made on stage in England.
A BBC spokeswoman told the News Letter: “As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers.
“Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our broadcast output will be made in the lead up to the festival.”
Many performances are recorded for later broadcast or streaming, rather going out live and direct – which can allow the BBC to trim potentially offensive language.
Kneecap have been cut from festivals in the UK and Europe, and rapper Mo Chara faces a terror charge stemming from a video that circulated last month allegedly showing him wrapped in the flag of Hezbollah while shouting “up Hezbollah!” during a gig in London.
Another clip showing what appeared to be a member of the group shouting “the only good Tory is a dead Tory, kill your local MP” led to Westminster politicians calling for them to be axed from Glastonbury. Kneecap apologised to the families of two murdered MPs but claimed the video had been “exploited and weaponised”, and stated they don’t back Hezbollah.