Kneecap - O2 Academy Glasgow - 8th July 2025

Its time

I leave the house and head to the show- excited to see this band, a year and a half ago, I was in a car with my friend Adam. He asked, "Have you heard this?" and played me Get the Brits Out. I laughed, It was glorious.

Irish Gaelic hip hop?! Okay, lets hear more of this, what started as a few fun tunes I could relate to turned into something much bigger. I remember watching footage from Mad Cool Festival in Madrid while standing outside a pub last summer - surrounded by Irish voices telling me about Kneecap. Then came the meteoric rise and success of their film Kneecap, and I was hooked.

Theres support from all corners of the media now, and with good reason.

Against a backdrop of growing political unrest, we now have a band leading a cultural and political revolution - and Glasgow is 100% behind them, outside the venue, a peaceful protest is held in support of the Palestinian people, what I admire most is how true Kneecap are to their beliefs, this is more than music, its a cause, a voice, a rallying cry.

If youve been living under a rock lately, maybe thats the only excuse for not having heard of Kneecap. Their support for Palestine has been unwavering and admirable. They speak up - loudly - and people are getting behind the cause.

Its making some in power very uncomfortable. As they rightly said recently "We didnt intend to be the focus. The focus should be on the genocide happening in Gaza."

The tube was packed. The Laurieston Pub awash in Irish and pro-Palestinian shirts-even Bob Vylan T-shirts, in a nod to his recent solidarity.

Then, inside the O2 Academy... the screens flicker to life with headlines: court cases, show cancellations, inflammatory statements from politicians. The tension builds. And then: Mo Chara, Moglai Bap, and DJ Provai walk onto the stage to what might be the loudest reception Ive ever heard.

They open with Its Been Ages, and the energy doesnt drop for a second.

The music is a mash of Irish Gaelic and pulsing techno. The crowd is bouncing. The room is electric.

Kneecap arent just performers-theyre entertainers, with razor-sharp wit. Tracks like Fenian Cunts and Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite bring big laughs but never lose their bite.

But its not all humour.

"Were from West Belfast. From the working class, we have more in common with a poor Rangers fan than a rich Celtic one."

That line hits hard-and earns a massive cheer in a room full of Celtic supporters.

Fine Art delivers pure thump.

C.E.A.R.T.A.-a love song to the Irish language-is a powerful anthem for Gaelic rights, which run through all of Kneecaps messaging, it leads into the anti-imperial Get Your Brits Out, a full-throttle moment with DJ Provai crowd-surfing while the whole venue sings along, its a Gaelic rave.


H.O.O.D. is another standout. They take the criticisms and political slurs thrown at them and flip them into lyrics-reclaiming power through humour and defiance.

Kneecap are more than a band. Theyve become a focal point for resistance, rebellion, and representation. And I thank them for that-for bringing critical issues to the forefront and using their platform to demand change. And they are creating change.

Glasgow stands with them. As do millions of others.

The show ends with the Welshy remix of Come Out, Ye Black and Tans-a rebel anthem mocking the British Armys brutal actions in Ireland during the War of Independence. Its a fitting finale for a band unafraid to speak truth to power.

Everyone in that room-and the hundreds standing outside-are with you, Kneecap.

Review by Craig McGee.

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