Is there a band in the world more talked about right now than KNEECAP? Seriously, ask yourself the question. You’d surely have to go back to the Sex Pistols to find a band as talked about as the Irish hip-hop trio.
As their Irish Independence Traders tour rolled into Leeds, they showed that not only was the hype worth it, but delivered a performance that cut through the noise.
Let’s get one thing out the way first, though – the police presence at this gig was ridiculous. I get it, KNEECAP are seemingly the governments public enemy number one right now – and with them losing (again) in a court of law to the group – they wanted to flex their muscles.
However, let’s not pretend this isn’t taking the piss, and quite frankly, a waste of taxpayer resources. For example, while waiting to enter the venue I saw a young girl refused entry due to her, shock horror, wearing a Palestine football shirt to a KNEECAP gig.
She’d then been left to wonder home in the cold and dark of Leeds city center all on her own. Where’s her protection? You cannot tell me that the police were at the venue for ‘Public Safety’. It was intimidation, plain and simple, with the biggest irony of all being that inside the venue was the kindest, safest and most unified atmosphere imaginable.
After an opening video expressing the groups support for the Palestinian people, they launched into a blisteringly hot rendition of, ‘IT’S BEEN AGES’, a very fitting introduction for the group and a big fuck you to the aforementioned police. This sentiment was continued throughout the show with the inclusion of, ‘Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite’.
‘Amach Anocht’ got the crowd going with its old skool hip-hop flair, while ‘Fenian Cunts’ was truly an, ‘arms aloft’ moment as DJ Provi came out from behind his decks to lead the crowd in the tracks titular refrain.
It was with the double whammy of, ‘Better Way to Live’ and, ‘Sick in the Head’ where the crowd truly kicked into gear and it was amazing to see a crowd of a couple thousand in West Yorkshire screaming in unison in Irish Galic. “We haven’t gone away you know”.
New tracks, ‘No Comment’ and, ‘Sayonara’ were all received incredibly well, in particular the former, which despite being released the day before, looks like a fan favorite.
It was the end of the set where the group truly came into their own. ‘Guilty Conscience’, ‘Get Your Brits Out’ and ‘CEARTA’ were a tour de force and the one-two combination of, ‘HOOD’ and, ‘The Recap’ to close out the set was a stroke of genius. A truly excellent way to close out the show.
Seeing KNEECAP live cuts through all the bullshit that surrounds the band and reminds you that they may just be the most important group around at the minute. It’s a tall order to blend politics and music, but as the band left the stage and, ‘Come Out You Black and Tans’ filled the venue it became clear that KNEECAP are masters in their field.
WORDS BY TOM DIBB
PHOTO CREDIT – KNEECAP
FOLLOW KNEECAP HERE
HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST MUSIC NEWS FROM RGM
