Kneecap to headline London festival as planned after cancellations

12 May 2025, 20:41

Irish rap trio Kneecap’s headline set at London’s Wide Awake festival is to go ahead as planned after a number of the band’s concerts were cancelled by organisers.

The group has seen gigs including a performance at the Eden Project in Cornwall on July 4 cancelled after historic concert footage appeared to show a member of the group shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”, and another video allegedly showing one calling for Conservative MPs to be killed.

In a statement, confirming their performance in Brixton’s Brockwell Park would go ahead as planned, Wide Awake said: “After positive discussions with key stakeholders, Wide Awake festival can confirm that, as planned, Kneecap will be performing at this year’s festival on Friday, May 23 at Brockwell Park.

“Wide Awake Festival has a proud history of supporting the alternative music scene and we look forward to staging another unforgettable event showcasing the very best emerging and established talent.”

Made up of Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, the group has faced an investigation by counter-terrorism police after the videos, filmed in 2023 and 2024, became public.

The Wide Awake performance will be the band’s first UK gig since the investigation was launched.

Read more: No, Kneecap there isn’t a conspiracy against you

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Kneecap shows at Plymouth Pavilions and a number of German events, including Hurricane and Southside festivals, have also been cancelled.

In a post on X following the announcement, the group said: “Well well London, we’ll be seeing you for a headline show in Brockwell Park next Friday.

“Some tickets remain – this one is going to be very special.”

Kneecap have apologised to the families of murdered MPs, but claimed footage of the incident had been “exploited and weaponised”, while they also said they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah, which are both banned organisations in the UK.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned while other politicians have pushed for the group to be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up.

Artists including CMAT, Massive Attack, The Pogues, Brian Eno, Pulp, Paul Weller, former BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac and Primal Scream have defended the band following the furore.

They signed a statement saying there is a “clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform” Kneecap while claiming that politicians are “strategically concocting moral outrage over the stage utterings of a young punk band” while ignoring a “genocide” in Gaza.

Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise as well as their championing of the Irish language, their best known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live and 3Cag.

Alongside Kneecap, the Wide Awake one-day festival will also see performances from the likes of CMAT, English Teacher and Peaches.