On Thursday, 29th November, Kneecap visited Birmingham’s O2 Academy for what turned out to be an incredible gig. Miss Kaninna, an Australian singer, supported the band. Her performance set the tone for the evening, with a focus on rights for Aboriginal people in Australia, a community she explained that she belonged to, alongside the overarching […]
On Thursday, 29th November, Kneecap visited Birmingham’s O2 Academy for what turned out to be an incredible gig.
Miss Kaninna, an Australian singer, supported the band. Her performance set the tone for the evening, with a focus on rights for Aboriginal people in Australia, a community she explained that she belonged to, alongside the overarching theme of liberty for the residents of Palestine. Her vitality was received with an immense level of excitement from the crowd, who were thoroughly engaged throughout. Although many gigs don’t fill up until the support act has finished, the O2 was well and truly packed by the last few songs, with no chance of anyone getting a drink and being able to reclaim their place in the crowd!
Then came Kneecap themselves. As The Streets’ backing music faded into oblivion, the rowdy crowd managed to contain itself in a moment of suspenseful silence. The screen on the stage became the centre of attention as it relayed vital information about the oppression of Palestinian people, reminding everyone that this gig was so much more than music: it was a statement that the people of Birmingham will not brush over genocide. It is important to remember that to say any member of the band supports any form of terrorist organisation is a misconception, as their focus is on ending oppression, not backing terrorism in any way.
‘The screen on the stage became the centre of attention as it relayed vital information about the oppression of Palestinian people, reminding everyone that this gig was so much more than music: it was a statement that the people of Brimingham will not brush over genocide’
As Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí came bouncing onto the stage, the seconds of silence transformed into an eruption of cheers. The first few songs were received with absolute enthusiasm, especially ‘Better Way to Live’, which uses a recording of Grian Chatten (Fontaines DC) for some of the vocals, not only as it produces fantastic music but also as a symbol of Irish solidarity.
A fascinating moment came when the rappers explained that the last time they came to Birmingham, they failed to sell out a small venue, but now they had managed to sell out the O2. It was a remarkable and inspiring story of persistence. They then expressed their understanding of Birmingham’s culture, showing their awareness that many Irish people had moved to Birmingham, helping build essential infrastructure such as railways. This personalised touch was met with cheers from an excitable crowd.
It was then that the mosh pits started in full. Some of the liveliest songs included ‘Get your Brits Out’, ‘Guilty Conscience’, and ‘The Recap’ where DJ Próvaí got in the crowd, starting a mosh pit that resulted in him crowd surfing. Even after the rappers had exited the stage to the Irish folk song, ‘The Irish Rover’, the audience was captivated in a chaotic yet beautiful moment of dancing amongst the tide of Irish flags.
Never has one seen so many Brummies in Celtic tops in one place. There was a subtle poignance to the pride experienced by these people, most of them predominantly from Irish ancestry, expressing their roots in a way that would have been shunned in previous generations. Whilst the focus was always on the liberation of the Palestinian population, the concert was also founded on liberation for the Irish people. Whilst rapping in Irish is the overt conveying of the hunt for the reclamation of full cultural identity, this is only the surface of what these three men from Belfast are beginning to achieve.
‘Never has one seen so many Brummies in Celtic tops in one place’
So yes, the music was brilliant. Yes, the crowd was lively. And yes, the lighting built the atmosphere. But no, that wasn’t the predominant reason why most people were there. They were there to express their strength in the face of adversity that never truly goes away, aligning Irish history to the experience of the Palestinian people now.
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