Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap opened their Glastonbury performance with a strongly worded chant opposing prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
“F*** Keir Starmer! F*** Keir Starmer! F*** Keir Starmer!” shouted the three musicians in unison as they performed on the West Holts stage at 4pm on Saturday afternoon (28 June).
The huge crowd that had gathered to watch the band enthusiastically joined in on the chant, which was later repeated during their performance alongside several calls for “Free Palestine”.
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At the beginning of their set, Kneecap also aired a compilation of clips from the media and politicians discussing the controversy that surrounds them, including one remark by music manager and TV personality Sharon Osbourne branding them “pathetic”. The clip was met with boos from the crowd.
In the lead-up to Glastonbury, Kneecap’s set had become a hotly contested topic, with the prime minister stating that he did not think it was “appropriate” for them to perform at the festival.
Bandmate Liam Og O hAnnaidh, 27, of Belfast, was charged in June after allegedly displaying a flag in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a London show last year. He denies this charge.
The band – who have publicly spoken out against Israel’s brutal military campaign in Gaza – recently called the terrorism charge a “distraction”.
In a previous statement, Kneecap said: “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah.”
On Saturday (28 June), the BBC confirmed that it would not be broadcasting Kneecap’s Glastonbury set live.
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The trio said, however, that the broadcaster had contacted them to say that their performance will be available to watch online on iPlayer from Saturday evening onwards.
A BBC spokesperson said: “As the broadcast partner, the BBC is bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers.
“Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines.
“We don’t always live-stream every act from the main stages and look to make an on-demand version of Kneecap’s performance available on our digital platforms, alongside more than 90 other sets.”
The BBC did, however, broadcast a live set by British hip-hop duo Bob Vylan, who had performed on the West Holts stage ahead of Kneecap.
During their show, the duo repeatedly shouted “Death to the IDF”, referring to the Israeli army, the Israel Defence Forces.
Bob Vylan’s set was broadcast on the BBC without any apparent censorship. The BBC later cut the live feed for Kneecap as planned.
Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury is among the most controversial in recent years.
Festival organiser Emily Eavis defended their decision to proceed with the gig, stating: “There have been a lot of really heated topics this year, but we remain a platform for many, many artists from all over the world and, you know, everyone is welcome here.”
Kneecap have been active since 2017. The band – which is composed of O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh – rap in a mixture of English and Irish.
They released their first single “CEARTA” (Irish for “rights”) in 2017, followed by their debut album the following year.
