Still as incendiary as ever, the most subversive rap trio of the moment proudly carries its political demands in the face of attacks from the British government.
Kneecap’s music is a matter of reclamation. A reclaiming of words, of rap vampirized by anglophone culture, and of an Irish history that has too often been consigned to oblivion. It is also a matter of political struggle against imperialism and its harms.
So it’s only natural to hear Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí rapping more in Irish Gaelic than in English, for what is the point of overdoing the language of those who, since the 13th century, colonized the green island to serve their own interests before oppressing the rest?
Revolutionary Chants
Returning with a second album just as incendiary as the first, Fenian, the most subversive rap trio of the moment immediately makes their intentions clear, Irish pride raised as a banner. Invoking the Fenian fighters, those revolutionaries who fought to drive the British out against all odds, Kneecap opens this new record with the voices of a handful of activists dedicated to defending the Irish language: Aoife Ní Riain, Gearóid Ó Cairealláin, Brendán Ó Fiaich, Manchán Magan, Ciarán Mac Giolla Mhéin…
The three musicians do not mince words. It quickly becomes a matter of settling scores with the British government, which has shown hostility toward them since the terrorism-offense trial that targeted Mo Chara last year, when he was charged in May 2025 for displaying a Hezbollah flag on stage. The charges were eventually dropped, the case having been closed by the British judiciary.
“A circus of distraction,” Kneecap says in Carnival, a track where the crowd’s chants outside London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court during the trial echo as well (“Free, free Mo Chara!”). The three Irishmen do not hesitate to press the attack (perhaps again or twice), directly taking on the British Prime Minister in Liars Tale, with a “Fuck Keir Starmer!” hurled with a ferocity straight from the gut.
A Fertile Rage with Dan Carey at the Helm
Never forgetting the Palestinian people, toward whom the Irish crew offers unwavering support, onstage and beyond. Kneecap thus teams up with Fawzi — a rapper from Ramallah — in Palestine, an ode to solidarity between oppressed peoples.
Beyond the essential political claims voiced song after song, the record shines with kaleidoscopic production. In charge: the eminent Dan Carey, who seems to be carving a new path for the Irish. A sound that is more creative, sculpted with details that tickle the ear and deftly support the songs’ messages.
We wander through color after color, whether trip-hop (Carnival, Occupied 6), jungle (Headcase, An Ra), acid house (Big Bad Mo), almost-dub (Gael Phonics) and rock (Fenian, Cocaine Hill). There is little doubt that with Fenian, Kneecap has crafted an ambitious and meticulously studied album, fed by fertile anger. For now, their political conscience remains an excellent artistic compass.
Fenian (Heavenly/PIAS). Release on May 1st. Live at Zénith Paris – La Villette, on November 20.
