By Jack Daly

After the release of Kneecap’s second studio album, an award-winning feature length film depicting their roots in post troubles Belfast and tantalising crowds at major festivals, the Irish Hip-hop/rap/rave trio, made up of DJ Provai, Mo Chara and Moglai Bap embarked on their sold out ‘Fine Art England/Scotland/Wales Tour.’

On two nights in November only, Kneecap would occupy the Barrowlands for the first time since April 2023. The ballroom was filled to the brim with rap-lovers, ravers, indie kids and rebels. The room was a cauldron of anti-disestablishmentarianism. The crowd was ready to tell the ‘occupiers’ what they really thought.

The crowd, after many chants of Irish rebel songs by support act Gemma Dunlevy, who combined aspects of pop and dance music, patiently waited for the headliners to arrive on stage. It was one of the loudest roars I’ve heard at a gig in a very long time. The group, complete with bottles of Buckfast and Tricolour balaclavas, knew exactly what crowd they would be playing to on the night. In an interview with Kerrang Mo Chara and Moglai Bap confirmed that the Barrowlands was in fact their favourite venue in the world, and I think that the crowd gave them more reasoning as to why it was. Mo Chara said in the same interview, “Glasgow crowds are always the best. They give you a show, it’s not just us giving them a show.”

They kicked off their set with their 2023 single ‘ITS BEEN AGES’, by the first note in the song the mosh-pits were already being arranged. Evie Seenan, a regular gig goer and drummer of Glasgow based-band Bogle said this: “Seeing anyone at the Barras is a pleasure but I think Kneecap could’ve been the best couple of hours of my life. Kneecap have a very specific demographic of politically charged likeminded people which makes the pits even more energetic. I was soaked with sweat on the way out, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve been raving about it to absolutely everyone ever since.”

The gig carried on with nothing but stone-cold bangers. ‘C.E.A.R.T.A’, ‘Fenian C**ts’, ‘Sick in the Head’ and many more. Their crowd interaction is second to none in my opinion. There were points of the gig where they would physically be in the crowd with us and constantly telling the crowd how we were all one “big group of Fenian brothers and sisters.” They played up to the crowd’s shared support for the Palestinian cause. It felt as though they were hearing us, and we were hearing them.

A group that makes you feel part of the performance is a must for me and you won’t be short of that at a Kneecap gig.

When the final song was about to be blasted through the speakers I was at the bar, as soon as I heard the bass of ‘H.O.O.D’ echo throughout the barras I ran straight into the pit. That song, in that venue, with this crowd, was an experience I was not willing to miss. In lack of an encore, over the speakers they played traditional Irish song ‘Come out ye black and tans’ which felt like just the cherry on top of a night of political freedom and republicanism.

Belfast rappers blast the Barras