Kneecap at Leeds Irish Centre: an explosive night of party and protest

The Belfast hip-hop trio bring a raucous, riotous, rowdy night of infectious energy to Leeds Irish Centre. 

Pint of gorgeously creamy Guinness in hand, I weave through a sea of GAA jerseys and tricolour flags. A melodic mosaic of different Irish accents hang in the air, bubbling in anticipation of what we are about to witness. There is no venue in this city more appropriate for a Kneecap gig than Leeds Irish Centre. 

DJ Provai, sporting his trademark tricolour balaclava and custom boilersuit, is the first to emerge onto stage and take his place behind the decks amidst the atmospheric ‘3CAG’ – the opening track to the group’s latest album Fine Art. Hushed excitement simmers throughout the room, fizzing with expectation and then erupting into boiling point when the throbbing beat of ‘Its Been Ages’ explodes through the soundsystem. Mo Chara and Moglai Bap bounce onto stage and jump straight into a confident flow. The final night of a sold out two-night stand is off to a strong start.  

A high energy riot ensues as the trio bulldoze through banger after banger. ‘Sick in the Head’ sees a pit half the size of the venue open up and subsequently implode under the weight of fervent moshing. The intensity of ‘I bhFiacha Linne’ and unrelenting throb of ‘Your Sniffer Dogs are Shite’ have the crowd leaping with unbounded energy, ‘Fenian Cunts’ obliges the audience to sway and sing as one, and ‘C.E.A.R.T.A’ sees friends, lovers, and strangers on each other’s shoulders shouting along in unison. 

A deeply political atmosphere of resistance permeates the crowd and stage alike: most notably in support for Palestine. Amongst the fans are Palestine flags, T-shirts, and frequent impassioned chants of “Free Free Palestine”. The show itself starts with a graphic on the screen behind the stage stating “Israel is committing a genocide against Palestine” followed by a series of harrowing facts and figures. The Palestinian cause is important to the group: Moglai Bap has been running 10km everyday of the tour to raise funds for Food Parcels for Gaza – a feat he encourages the audience to join in with, donate to, and be impressed by given the extra challenge of “the hangovers and the cocaine”. 

This is unsurprising given the political nature of Kneecap. Their lyrics blend both Irish with English and the sharply political with the deeply funny. Vocal in their support for a united Ireland, and of course advocates for the Irish language, they are simultaneously thoughtfully unapologetic and hedonistically fun: rapping as much about civil rights as about drugs. Throughout the show they encourage the crowd to sing the anti-Thatcher tune “In a box, in a box, Maggie’s in a box!” – a task we take up enthusiastically. On brand for a Kneecap audience I spot a fan wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt, and one man even shouts out for an independent Yorkshire (Moglai Bap responds by admitting the band know shit all about British geography). Kneecap are divisive and offensive in the most inclusive and loving way. Their track ‘Parful’ celebrates how nightlife culture brings together historically divided Catholic and Protestant communities in the North of Ireland. Such an atmosphere of protest and party is in full force tonight. The colourful strobe lighting, contagious energy, pulsating bass, and hypnotic beats, elicit the euphoria of a really fucking good rave, and something else too.

The gig hurtles on at breakneck speed. Fans barely have time to catch their breath before launching back into the mosh pit to ‘Rhino Ket’ – a song Mo Chara declares is his granny’s favourite (anyone else’s nan love to yell “I’m k-holed off my head, this shit puts rhinos to bed”?). It certainly seems a favourite of the crowd who threaten to blow the roof when the end of the track crescendos into chaos. My personal favourite ‘I’m Flush’ does not disappoint; I’m actively giddy from the stellar performance and surprisingly lush sound system which does the blaring bassline justice. There is not a soul in sight who does not dance to ‘Get Your Brits Out’ – the punchy tune featuring the BBC news theme song and tongue in cheek lyrics that envision a messy night out with the DUP. By the time Kneecap reach their final song, the electrifying ‘H.O.O.D’, the room is dripping with enough sweat to fill the Irish Sea. 

Each person lucky enough to be here will undoubtedly look back with gratitude at experiencing Kneecap perform in such an intimate setting: the band are already snowballing to mainstream fame and balance on the precipice of commercial success. Their self-titled semi-fictionalised biopic, which was met with both critical acclaim and a triumphant theatre release earlier this year, is now available on Amazon Prime (Mo Chara encourages the audience to watch it on dodgy boxes or illegal websites – “fuck Jeff Bezos”). The band already have their sights set on some immense performances, having booked international festival appearances including Coachella and a headline slot at Wide Awake, as well as supporting fellow Irishmen Fontaines DC at their huge Finsbury Park show next summer. There is no denying that Kneecap are on the upside of the see-saw. They will not be coming down anytime soon. 

Words by Ruby Smith