Massive Attack, Pulp, Paul Weller and more have come out in support of Irish rap trio Kneecap, signing a joint letter expressing “the right to freedom of expression” for musicians and artists.
The politically charged rap group have found themselves marred in controversy this past week. Coachella organisers claimed they were “blindsided” by the overtly political statements in support of Palestine throughout the groups performance.
They have since been the target of seemingly everyone; ranging from the media, to politicians, and even the UK counter-terror police.
Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch has led the calls for the trio to face prosecution over two certain videos which have resurfaced, one where a member of the group shouts “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” and another where they say on stage: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
Daughter of David Amess, a Tory MP murdered in 2021, told the BBC she was “gobsmacked at the stupidity of somebody or a group of people being in the public eye and saying such dangerous, violent rhetoric.”
Kneecap were quick to respond as they released a statement denying any support of Hamas and apologising to the families of two murdered MPs, Jo Cox and David Amess.
KNEECAP STATEMENT: They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide. Establishment figures, desperate to silence us, have combed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews, extracting a handful of words from months or years ago to manufacture moral… pic.twitter.com/qZht5532Zf — KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 28, 2025
Claiming that there is a smear campaign against them to distract from the truth, Kneecap said: “They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide… The real crimes are not in our performances; the real crimes are the silence and complicity of those in power. Shame on them.”
Politicians including Badenoch and Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney have since called for the removal of Kneecap from upcoming festivals including Glastonbury and TRNSMT.
This has resulted in a passionate response from the music world, with over 40 artists signing a letter from Kneecap’s record label, Heavenly, stating that “We stand for the freedom of expression.” Read the full letter below.
Pulp, Fontaines DC, IDLES, Massive Attack, Primal Scream and Paul Weller are just some of the major names that have come to the support of Kneecap whilst hitting out at politicians, claiming: “In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does or does not play at music festivals.”
Alleging that the rap trio have been victims of a campaign to censor their voice, the letter reads: “This past week has seen a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform the band Kneecap. In Westminster and the British media, senior political figures have been openly engaged in a campaign to remove Kneecap from the public eye.”
Massive Attack were the first to come out in support of Kneecap, releasing a full statement titled “Kneecap are not the story”.
The Trip Hop icons have been vocal in their support of Palestine for decades and have boycotted performing in Isreal since 1999. Read their full statement of support below.
Massive Attack pic.twitter.com/6QychuRmwv
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 30, 2025
So far, the politicians calls to have Kneecap taken off festival line-ups have fallen short. They have been removed from the Eden Project lineup, but for now remain on the bill for Glastonbury, TRNSMT and other festivals.
The biggest show of support from the public came earlier this week, when their huge Belfast show with Fontaines DC sold out 40,000 tickets in just over an hour.
