Guess who’s back in the news? Kneecap have been catalysts for a new wave of Irish hip-hop, Irish culture and language, and independent cinema
Kneecap is now the most talked-about group in the world, mobilising a generation in moshpits and on dancefloors, in fields and in clubs, and online and off. At the core of this, are undeniably exhilarating tunes. This is hip-hop at its most exciting – a potent and revolutionary force, smashing bans, barricades, censorship, and the occasional bottle of Buckfast. Their fiercely intelligent breakthrough concept album, Fine Art (2024), produced by Toddla T, catapulted them into the mainstream, in tandem with their BAFTA-winning feature film, Kneecap, starring Michael Fassbender, which was short-listed for an Academy Award.
Anyone who thought the Kneecap phenomenon may have peaked in their breakout year of 2024, was seriously mistaken. Following multiple sold out US and UK tours, performances at some of the biggest festivals across Europe – including Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Sziget, and Electric Picnic – as well as sold out tours of Australia and New Zealand featuring a more than 10,000-strong crowd turning up in blistering heat at a free outdoor show in Melbourne, Kneecap took to the stage at Coachella in 2025.
