Kneecap's Glastonbury stage shut down as BBC declares it won't livestream gig

Irish Daily Mirror

19 hours ago

Irish rap trio Kneecap, who hail from Belfast, are gearing up for their Glastonbury performance taking place today – and the stage has been shut down 45 minutes before their set.
Their appearance at Worthy Farm has been surrounded by controversy for weeks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer even calling for their set to be scrapped after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh appeared in court, charged with for allegedly waving a flag in support of the banned terrorist group Hezbollah and chanting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" during a performance in Brixton last November.
The rap trio are vocal in their support of Palestine – making their stance clear on social media and at their recent Coachella set in April, in which they displayed a sign which read: "Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people."
Another message on the stage read: "It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes," and a final screen added: "F**k Israel. Free Palestine."
Ahead of their performance, due to the controversy over their band member's court case, there had been much public discussion about if they should perform at all. But, the performance is set to go ahead as planned. Here, we bring you all the latest and everything you need to know about the controversial set from the trio.
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Glastonbury's West Holts stage has been shut down due to crowd issues ahead of Kneecap's performance at 4pm.
The area is already filled to the brim 45 minutes before the Irish trio's highly anticipated set. The move from Glastonbury means no one else from the festival will be able to enter the West Holts area.
Performing on the West Holts stage, Bob Vylan has thrown his support behind Irish rap trio Kneecap, amid calls for their Glastonbury slot to be pulled.
Speaking on the very stage the group are set to grace moments before Kneecap's set, Bob revealed his former boss signed the 'secret' letter demanding Kneecap to be dropped from the bill.
He told the crowd: "This letter or this list of names came out recently of people trying to stop our mates Kneecap from performing.
"Who do I see on that f**king list of names but that bald headed c*** I used to work for."
Punk duo Bob Vylan are currently performing at West Holts stage ahead of Kneecap's gig at 4pm.
The act displayed an image of the Palestine flag behind them as they took to the stage. Meanwhile, festival go-ers in the crowd were seen wearing T-shirts with the flag on also.
During the set, one of the stars issued a warning as they said: "We are live on the BBC so we have to be careful what we say." The BBC have previously revealed how they were not going to live stream kneecap's show.
Glastonbury Festival revellers have been showing support for Palestine and Kneecap in their choice of outfits ahead of their performance today.
Pictured at the West Holts stage hours before the Irish rap trio are due on stage, one festival-goer was seen sporting a T-shirt with the words 'Free Mo Chara' on. While others were seen sporting 'Free Palestine' shirts.
The West Holts stage is already looking very busy nearly two hours before the Kneecap's performance.
Glastonbury bosses have warned they may need to shut the area - and that prediction could easily come true looking at numbers. Bob Vylan who is on half an hour before Kneecap is going to have quite a crowd!
The BBC have announced they will not be live streaming Kneecap's performance on the West Holts stage at 4pm today. However, the group's gig will be available on catch-up.
BBC spokesperson has 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.'
Kneecap star Liam had a stern message to those in the music industry who tried to stop his set.
DJ Toddla T revealed that a secret letter had been written to Glastonbury bookers in a bid to stop the rap trio's gig at the Worthy Farm festival. It was claimed the letter was 'signed by 30 individuals from within the music industry.' It was labelled as a 'coordinated attempt by 30 members of the musical elite, people with systemic influence, to silence the voices of three working-class artists from Belfast. All of it was done behind closed doors.'
Now, in an interview with Guardian ahead of today's performance, Liam responded to the not-so-secret letter. He said: "The fact that the letter was leaked changes things."
Liam added: "And I hope that these people regret it. I think they're already starting to."
Glastonbury have issued crowd warnings for Kneecap.
Bosses sent out a list of what they expect wil be their biggest audiences.
They told festival goers: 'Kneecap will draw a large audience for their 4pm West Holts show. If you're not planning to see them, please plan alternative routes around that area. If you do plan to attend, listen to stewards, and please have some other entertainment options in mind in case the field reaches capacity and we need to close it as part of our crowd planning measures.'
They also highlighted Kate Nash who 'looks set to draw a big crowd to Left Field at 9pm, so please arrive early if you're hoping to catch her set.'
They added: 'Scissor Sisters will be very busy at Woodsies at 10.30pm. It's likely we'll need to close the field once it reaches capacity as part of our crowd planning measures. Charlie xcx will also be popular in our new enlarged Other Stage arena at 10.30pm.'
Festival bosses can work out who are the most popular acts through music fans selecting who they are seeing through the Glastonbury app.
The trio are yet to reveal their exact set list, adding more anticipation to their performance. However, previous festival stints this year – including at Coachella and Wide Awake Festival – saw them perform the following tunes:
Amach Anocht
Fenian C***s
Thart agus Thart
Better Way to Live
Sick in the Head
Harrow Road
Guilty Conscience
THE RECAP
Your Sniffer Dogs Are S***e
I bhFiacha Linne
I'm Flush
C.E.A.R.T.A
Rhino Ket
Parful
Get Your Brits Out
H.O.O.D
Ahead of their performance today on the West Holts stage, Kneecap posted a 'public service announcement' video on their Instagram page – in which they urged the Government to 'stop the genocide' in Gaza.
The video shared by the Irish trio features interviews from "medics and activists", in which the band reaffirmed their pro-Palestine stance. As they shared the clip on Instagram, the caption read: "Kneecap is not the story. Genocide in Gaza is.
"'See it. Say it. Censored.' is an artist-led alternative PSA presented by kneecap that demands urgent action to stop the genocide unfolding in Gaza.
"Created by a coalition of artists and powered by the testimony of medics and activists, the film builds on reports from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and UN agencies, to lay out the facts and call for vital action:"STOP THE GENOCIDE Arms Embargo Now Boycott, Divest, Sanctions. Support Palestinian Liberation".
Irish rap trio are expected to hit the West Holts stage at 4pm on the Glastonbury Festival site today. The set is billed to last for an hour.
Those watching from home will be able to catch the act on BBC iPlayer as livestreaming for the festival starts at 12pm on the broadcaster's streaming site.
Speaking ahead of their performance today, Kneecap's Naoise has said: "We're a distraction, to take away [attention] from what's happening in Palestine, especially for our generation of people who are always on our phones," he told The Guardian. "It's all being livestreamed – you can never say you didn't know what's happening in Palestine, and that's why they want to bog us down and go through old videos. Over 100 people were killed in the last four days – that's the real story."
Ahead of Kneecap's divisive performance taking place at Glastonbury today, the BBC have shared a statement revealing they will be airing the Irish rap trio's set.
They said: "As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers.
"Whilst the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead up to the festival."
The broadcaster's television coverage doesn't start until 5pm, while Kneecap are set to take to the West Holts stage at 4pm. However, the BBC iPlayer's broadcast starts at 12pm.
Despite calls for the band to be dropped from their Glastonbury set, they are still set to perform at Worthy Farm.
The BBC had been under pressure to deplatform the Irish band. However, the BBC has insisted it does not 'ban artists' and has said it will make sure the broadcast 'meets our editorial guidelines'. And that decision has left viewers with mixed opinion, with some delighted the BBC will air the set.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has hit back at the backlash for his actions, saying it was just a joke.
The Irish rapper insists he just portrays a character on stage and said: ""S*** is thrown on stage all the time," he said. "If I'm supposed to know every f***ing thing that's thrown on stage [including the Hezbollah flag] I'd be in Mensa, Jesus Christ."
And he also refused to see why he should regret his "dead Tory" comments. "It was a joke," he defiantly said.
Read more.
In a powerful message on social media, Irish band Kneecap insisited 'Kneecap is not the story. Genocide in Gaza is'.Sharing a short film on Instagram on Thursday, the trio wrote: "See it. Say it. Censored.' is an artist-led alternative PSA presented by kneecap that demands urgent action to stop the genocide unfolding in Gaza.
"Created by a coalition of artists and powered by the testimony of medics and activists, the film builds on reports from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and UN agencies, to lay out the facts and call for vital action: STOP THE GENOCIDE"
Following Mo Chara's terrorism charge, Kneecap vowed to 'fight' in a strongly-worded statement on Instagram as they strongly denied the allegations.
The band said on May 22: "14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again, the British establishment is focused on us.
"We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves. This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story. Genocide is. As they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage.
"A charge not serious enough to even warrant their 'crown court', instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? To restrict our travel ability. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare to speak out.
"Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.
"We stand proudly with the people. You stand complicit with the war criminals. We are on the right side of history. You are not. We will fight you in court. We will win. Free Palestine."
Just days after Liam was charged with a terror offence, the band performed at London's Wide Awake Festival. On stage, the group admitted their set very almost got cancelled at the last minute and revealed pressure was mounting on Glastonbury to pull their slot at Worthy Farm.
Liam spoke of his arrest as he told the crowd: "I had an interview with counter terrorism and within a day they charged me. And the reason it was that quick was because Glastonbury is just around the corner, they're trying to silence us."
"Glastonbury is just around the corner," the group stated before claiming "they're trying to stop" them doing a similar thing to what they did at Coachella. "F**k 'em," one of the trio said to a wild applause from the crowd.
At Coachella, which is often dubbed the US version of Glastonbury, the band displayed banners that read: 'Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people', 'It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes' and 'F*** Israel. Free Palestine'.
Rap group Kneecap 'plastered' London with messages of support for one Liam Og O hAnnaidh who appeaed in court accused of a terrorism offence earlier this month.
O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in November last year.
The 27-year-old appeared in Westminster Magistrates' Court last week following the alleged incident during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London.
Kneecap described the prosecution as a 'witch hunt' in a post on X.
The post including a short video which appeared to show a billboard that had been displayed in London with the words 'more blacks, more dogs, more Irish, Mo Chara'.
Ahead of Kneecap's much-anticipated performance at 4pm on Saturday, it has still not been confirmed whether or not the Belfast trio's set will be streamed live on BBC.
While the whole of Ireland are behind the trio, other have critisied them for their unwavering support for Palestine as they continue to call for a ceasefire while slamming government figures for aiding the war.
Should their set be shown on BBC? Have you say here.
More than 30 "music industry individuals" are said to have signed a secret letter, calling on Kneecap's Glastonbury appearance to be pulled. DJ Toddla T claimed he had seen a 'private and confidential letter' signed by '30 individuals from within the music industry', who urged Glastonbury organisers to remove Kneecap.
However, the band has received support from 100 other musicians including The Smiths' Johnny Marr who said he respects artists "who use their platform to speak out against injustice" and called for an "end to the atrocities and a free Palestine."
He joins the likes of Fontaines D.C., Lankum, The Pogues, Paul Weller, Pulp, Primal Scream and Massive Attack in showing their support to Kneecap.
Glastonbury boss Emily Eavis has broken her silence surrounding controversial Irish band Kneecap.
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said it was "not appropriate" for the Guilty Conscience stars to perform at Glastonbury on the West Holts Stage at 4pm on Saturday. However, giving her opinion on the divisive band, Emily, said "everyone is welcome".
Talking to the BBC as the festival flung open its doors to thousands of revellers today, she was asked: "You are very used to people picking over every aspect of the lineup but the Prime Minister got involved this time, saying it wasn't appropriate for Kneecap to be playing, how have you responded to that?"
Emily replied: "We haven't responded to that. At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the best festival to the people who want to come here. We're incredibly lucky that so many people want to come to Glastonbury, we have millions of people who want to come."
However, she was then probed: "But it's quite a thing for the Prime Minister to comment, how did you react? How did you feel?"
Looking somewhat irritated, Emily said: "I know, it is, 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 will be taking to the stage at Glastonbury for their highly anticipated set this weekend, despite multiple calls for them to be axed from the lineup. The group have defiantly said they will continue to perform amid the backlash against them.
It comes after bandmember Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig last year. He appeared in court earlier this month, with the band's scheduled appearance at Glastonbury put in doubt and calls from the Prime Minister for them to be booted off.
Kneecap dropped out of this year's TRNSMT Festival in Glasgow amid the controversy.
In a statement on social media, Kneecap said: "'Due to concerns expressed by the Police about safety at the event, Kneecap can no longer perform at TRNSMT. To the thousands of people who bought tickets, flights and hotels to see us play, we are sorry... it is out of our hands."
While Sharon Osbourne has made her opinion on Kneecap crystal clear, several celebrities, particularly within the Irish and UK music scenes, have publicly voiced their support for the Belfast-based rap group.
This support often comes in the form of open letters, social media posts, and statements expressing solidarity with the group amidst controversies surrounding their politically charged performances.
DJ and broadcaster Annie Mac has publicly supported Kneecap several times. Other supporters include The Pouges, Paul Weller, Sam Fender, Loyle Carner, Maverick Sabre, Vogue Williams, Laura Whitmore, and even the president of Ireland, Michael D Higgins has shared his support for the 'brave' band.
Kneecap's manager, Daniel Lambert said the band showed "bravery and conviction" to stand up for what is right at Coachella back in April when they used their voices to plead for a 'Free Palestine'
"If somebody is hurt by the truth, that's something for them to be hurt by, but it's really important to speak truth. Thankfully the lads are not afraid to do that," he said.
Mr Lambert said the band received death threats in the wake of their performance at Coachella. He described the threats as "too severe to get into".
The band had faced some criticism following the performance, including from Sharon Osbourne, who said their US work visas should be revoked.
Mr Lambert questioned the relevance of Ms Osbourne's comments. "Why aren't we talking about the opinion of Omar Bartov, an Israeli-American genocide expert, who concludes that Israel are committing genocide?
"Why should we care what Sharon Osbourne thinks? I certainly don't," he said.
Mr Lambert praised Kneecap's efforts to highlight the war in Palestine. "To the band's massive credit, there's three young working-class people here who have built a career for themselves, on the basis of the Irish language, music, culture and identity.
"They have the bravery and conviction, especially where they've come from in a post-conflict society, to stand up for what's right," he said.
Mr Lambert said the band should be praised for making a stand "despite the fact it may harm their careers, and their income".
"It's an extremely strong position for young people to take, especially young people from a working-class background," he added.
Liam Og Ó hAnnaidh, was released on unconditional bail on June 18 ahead of his next hearing on August 20 after he was accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig.
The 27-year-old, who performs under the name Mo Chara, arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court accompanied by band members Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin) and DJ Próvaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh).
Ó hAnnaidh's barrister Brenda Campbell KC attempted to have the case thrown out, arguing that prosecutors have run out of time to prosecute the alleged offence, which allegedly happened at the 02 Forum in Kentish Town on November 21.
Ó hAnnaidh was asked by chief magistrate Paul Goldstring about the pronunciation of his name and if he will require an Irish interpreter at future hearings.
He asked for one and was granted unconditional bail until the next hearing.Scored of supporters gathered outside the courtroom cheered as he left the courtroom. Hundreds more are still gathered outside the court entrance waiting for him to leave the building.
Irish language rap group Kneecap have defended their provocative performances as 'satirical' ahead of performing at Glastonbury this weekend.
The band were criticised following footage of a November 2023 gig allegedly showing a member saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.'
Mo Chara, along with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap), and JJ O Dochartaigh (DJ Provai), said the ensuing controversies are a distraction from what is happening to Palestinians.
They said they are happy to lose income and clout in order to be 'on the right side of history', and said they hoped that 'being vocal and being unafraid' would encourage other bands to speak up on Palestine.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper ahead of Glastonbury, O hAnnaidh defended their performances as 'satirical'.
'It's a joke. I'm a character. S**t is thrown on stage all the time. If I'm supposed to know every f****** thing that's thrown on stage I'd be in Mensa,' he said.
'I don't know every proscribed organisation – I've got enough shit to worry about up there. I'm thinking about my next lyric, my next joke, the next drop of a beat.'
Asked about the 'dead Tory' comments, he said it was 'a joke' and 'we're playing characters'. 'It's satirical, it's a f****** joke. And that's not the point,' he said.
'The point is, that (video) wasn't an issue until we said 'Free Palestine' at Coachella. That stuff happened 18 months ago, and nobody batted an eyelid. Everybody agreed it was a f****** joke, even people that may have been in the room that didn't agree – it's a laugh, we're all having a bit of craic.
'The point is, and the context is, it all (resurfaced) because of Coachella. That's what we should be questioning, not whether I regret things.'
Ó hAnnaidh added: 'If you believe that what a satirical band who play characters on stage do is more outrageous than the murdering of innocent Palestinians, then you need to give your head a f****** wobble.'
Ex-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has admitted that he thought Keir Starmer was pulling "some sort of gag" when he said Kneecap's upcoming Glastonbury performance is "inappropriate".
Over the weekend, the UK Prime Minister said it was "not appropriate" for the Belfast trio to cash in at the festival, which takes place from this Wednesday until Sunday.
His comments came in the wake of rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh being accused of displaying a flag in support of banned terror group Hezbollah at a gig.
O hAnnaidh, 27, who goes by the stage name Mo Chara, was bailed until later in the summer - leaving him free to play at Glastonbury.
Asked by The Sun on Sunday if he thinks Kneecap should play, Mr Starmer said: "No I don't. I think we need to come down really clearly on this. I won't say too much, because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate."
Reacting to Mr Starmer's comments, former Taoiseach Mr Varadkar said he thought the PM was pulling "some sort of gag". He said on social media: "No longer hold office nor have any mandate so my views don't count for so much anymore. I get that.
"But I really thought this was some sort of gag. It's the role of artists to be avant guarde, inappropriate, challenging, disruptive - from James Joyce to Sex Pistols and Playboy."
Mr Varadkar warned that politicians should not try to "censor" artists.
"Politicians really should not try to censor this. If an offence was committed, let the courts decide. In the mean time, the rule of law says the accused is innocent until proven guilty."
The BBC has said Kneecap's performance at Glastonbury will be aired if it meets the station's 'editorial guidelines'.
Doubt has been cast over whether or not the Belfast rap group's performance will air on television when they take to the West Holts stage on Saturday at 4pm.
As Glastonbury 2025 is now in full swing, a spokesperson for the BBC said the station will offer more than 90 hours of performances with live streams of Glastonbury's five main stages – but wouldn't clarify if it will air Kneecap's performance.
In a statement, the BBC said: 'As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers.
"Whilst the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines."
'Decisions about our output will be made in the lead up to the festival,' it said when asked whether Kneecap's set would be broadcast live or as part of the BBC's catch-up services.
Kier Starmer also commented on the situation. When questioned about whether he thinks the band should perform at the festival, he responded: "No, I don't. I think we need to come down really clearly on this. I won't say too much, because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate."
However, their set was later defended by organiser he group are still set to perform. Talking to the BBC as the festival flung open its doors to thousands of revellers today, Emily Eavis was asked: "You are very used to people picking over every aspect of the lineup but the Prime Minister got involved this time, saying it wasn't appropriate for Kneecap to be playing, how have you responded to that?"