The phrases “Free Palestine” and “Israel is committing genocide” were projected onto screens during Fontaines DC’s sold-out London concert on Saturday night.
The Irish post-punk band’s lead singer, Grian Chatten, captivated the 45,000-strong crowd with his commanding stage presence.
Dressed in a kilt and a Sinead O’Connor t-shirt, Chatten energised the audience, at times carrying the microphone by the pole or performing empty-handed, as he moved along the gangway above the vast crowd.
He rarely broke the music to speak, but dedicated a song to his “little girl” and briefly echoed a chant of “free Palestine” that was started by the audience.
Grainy live recordings of the Finsbury Park performance and crowd played on large screens on either side of the stage.
Both screens cut from the vintage-style footage to “Free Palestine” written in the gothic font of the band’s logo, as Chatten sang the I Love You lyrics: “Selling genocide and half-cut pride, I understand. I had to be there from the start, I had to be the f****** man”.
A piece of music equipment on the north London stage was wrapped in a Palestinian flag and onlookers also waved them in the crowd.
Ecstatic fans of the five-person Brit award-winning band descended into mosh pits for several songs, including upbeat Here’s the Thing.
Their slower track Romance was preceded by a minutes-long montage of surreal clips, including a pig and a crying heart-shaped head in different snow globes.
The last song finished and “Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice” came up on the screens.
Chatten closed the set with simply “cheers London, thank you very much” and a wave.
Prior to the performance, Chatten joined Kneecap, who were supporting, to perform their collaboration Better Way To Live.
Wearing a silver jacket and glasses, he embraced and sang with the trio and shouted “free Palestine”.
Australian rock band Amyl and the Sniffers also warmed up for the band.
Next month will see “the second time Kneecap have beat the British Government in court”, the Irish rap trio said at the gig.
The crowd watched them walk on in front of a screen that said “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people”.
People echoed the Belfast group’s chants when they repeated the “f*** Keir Starmer” and “you’re just a s*** Jeremy Corbyn” comments made at Glastonbury the previous weekend.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this month charged with a terror offence and will return next month.
Fellow member Naoise O Caireallain, who uses the stage name Moglai Bap, said “if anyone’s free on the 20th of August, you wanna go to the court and support Mo Chara” before shouting “free Mo Chara, free, free Mo Chara”.
Wearing a keffiyeh, O hAnnaidh responded: “I appreciate it, the 20th of August is going to be the second time Kneecap have beat the British Government in court – in their own court, on their own terms, and we’re going to beat them for the second time.
“I tell you what, there is nothing like embarrassing the British Government.”
