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It is a peaceful afternoon in Madden’s Bar, a cozy wooden establishment in Belfast. A small group of older individuals enjoy their pints of Guinness while engaging in quiet conversation, much like content dogs in a corner. The lighting is dim and the music creates a soothing ambiance.
Suddenly, the door opens and the energy levels rise as three young men enter the bar. They are well-known to the barman, regular customers, and fans of rap or websites like joe.co.uk or Vice. These men are Kneecap, a popular Irish-language band from Belfast, making a name for themselves worldwide. They are Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 26), looking handsome in a blue jumper and mac; Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin, 30), with a smile that resembles a shark’s, dressed in a stylish Lacoste tracksuit; and DJ Próvaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh, 34), typically seen wearing an Irish flag balaclava but today sporting casual black clothes with no face covering. They head straight to the bar where Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap order Guinness while Próvaí opts for a blackcurrant and soda.
Everyone at Madden’s is already familiar with them. In particular, Mo Chara has a carefree and confident charm that translates both in real life and on stage. Despite rapping in Irish and coming from republican Catholic backgrounds (with Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap hailing from West Belfast and Próvaí from Derry), Kneecap has a diverse fanbase, including Toddla T who produced their debut album, Fine Art, set to release in June, and seemingly everyone in this pub. Their fans also include young people from the unionist community who enthusiastically sing along to Kneecap’s tracks, starting with their 2017 debut single, C.E.A.R.T.A. (which stands for “cearta,” the Irish word for rights).
Móglaí Bap expressed that the Irish language is inclusive for all individuals. They address both sides of the community, coming from a working-class background with shared desires and necessities.
Although they have been gaining popularity for some time, Kneecap is now taking things to the next level. (Note: Their name is a playful nod to paramilitary punishment.) They have a new album coming out, a tour in the works for the US and Canada, and a main-stage slot at Reading and Leeds festivals. However, their biggest breakthrough will likely be their semi-autobiographical film, also titled Kneecap, which has received rave reviews. The band members portray exaggerated, cartoon versions of themselves to share their story in a similar style to Trainspotting and 8 Mile. The film even won the audience award at this year’s Sundance film festival.
The group arrived back at home from Sundance prior to the announcement of the award, but they had already left a strong impression. Not only with their film, which was described by the festival as “a thrilling journey filled with ketamine, accompanied by songs, animation, and narrated by Óg Ó hAnnaidh,” but also with their daring actions. They brought along a Land Rover from the PSNI (police force of Northern Ireland) and took a photo with it at a place called Provo. According to Mo Chara, “We ended up on the covers of all the magazines because of that jeep.”
The American hipsters may not fully understand the significance of an Irish band driving around in a PSNI car, or the term “Provo” (which refers to both a real city in Utah and a slang term for a member of the Provisional IRA), but they found the joke amusing. Kneecap’s success is largely attributed to their use of humor, similar to Eminem. Their cleverness and ability to express themselves is evident in everything they do. An interview on joe.co.uk delves into “inappropriate questions to ask Irish people”, where Mo Chara eloquently explains how the British must confront their colonial past openly, just as the Germans did after World War II. He then adds, “But the Brits just want to bury their past because they feel too guilty,” while making a crying face with his fists near his eyes.
Kneecap, through simply existing, are often viewed as a political entity not only by unionists in Northern Ireland but also by the UK government. Recently, Kemi Badenoch’s Department for Business and Trade intervened to prevent them from receiving an arts grant, which will be discussed further later on. Their music has been deemed inappropriate by RTE due to its frequent references to drugs and its use of the term RUC to refer to the pre-peace police force, the PSNI. Security has even escorted them from their own concert for chanting revolutionary slogans. Their repertoire includes controversial songs such as “Get Your Brits Out,” which depicts a wild night out with DUP members Arlene Foster, Jeffrey Donaldson, and Christy Stalford, and “Fenian Cunts,” which tells the story of Mo Chara having sex with a Protestant and jokingly suggests that she can call him “King Billy.” They also have a skit about the IRA cracking down on drug users. As post-Good Friday agreement rebels, they fearlessly challenge all forms of authority: “We don’t care who we offend.”
In 2019, they promoted their Farewell to the Union tour in England and Scotland through a depiction of Arlene Foster and Boris Johnson riding a rocket on top of a bonfire. Three years later, while preparing for a performance at West Belfast’s Féile An Phobail arts festival, they revealed a wall painting of a PSNI jeep engulfed in flames. According to Mo Chara, the reaction to the mural was greater than the response to an actual burning jeep. Móglaí Bap adds, “The last time I witnessed a real jeep on fire was in the Shankill [a unionist area]. That is the truth!”
The band’s provocative behavior may make headlines, but their true passion and purpose lies in the fact that all three members are fluent in Irish (which is the primary language of Móglaí Bap). This may not seem significant to those outside of Belfast, but the official recognition of Irish was a major factor in the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2022. The DUP opposed the Identity and Language Act, which aimed to give Irish equal legal status to English. After a long battle, the act was finally passed in late 2022 and the film follows the journey of the campaign for recognition of the language. Kneecap chose to rap in Irish to prove that it is a living language that can describe modern day life, from topics like sex and drugs to humorous jokes about drinking Buckfast.
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In addition to everything else, Kneecap is greatly admired by their younger fans for being a fantastic band – entertaining, unpredictable, and highly engaging in live performances. One commenter on YouTube even remarked, “I may not understand their lyrics, but I know this song is amazing.” Kneecap’s rap music is rooted in the vibrant culture of working-class Belfast, and they proudly refer to themselves as “low class troublemakers”.
We ascend the stairs to another charming room lined with wood and engage in conversation, starting with their movie. The band collaborated with director Rich Peppiatt, who persistently contacted them for six months until they finally agreed to meet with him. (“We receive a lot of strange emails, from people sitting in their grandmother’s basement,” says Móglaí Bap. “We initially thought he was one of those.”) The goal was always to create a cinematic portrayal of real life, and some aspects of the story were inspired by actual events. For example, there is a scene where Mo Chara is interviewed by the police and can only respond in Irish, necessitating a translator. This did occur, but to a friend of the band. Other parts of the story are completely true. Móglaí Bap’s christening, as portrayed in the film, took place at a sacred Catholic rock called Colin Glen Mass Rock, located in a wood south of Belfast. This was the first christening held there in 200 years and British army helicopters were present during the ceremony. Additionally, DJ Próvaí was fired from his job as a secondary school teacher for being part of the group, specifically for exposing his buttocks on stage which had “BRITS OUT” written on them. “There were more nuns in the real school though,” he adds.
All three of Kneecap are great in the film, so good that I initially thought Próvaí was played by a professional actor. They did drama lessons for six weeks – “staring into each other’s eyes, which was strange, but we loved it in the end” – and on the first day, which involved Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap digging a hole in Próvaí’s back garden, the film set was packed. They discovered later that it was because everyone was so worried that they wouldn’t be able to act.
However, they are certainly able to hold their own alongside talented actors Simone Kirby and Michael Fassbender. In the film, Fassbender portrays Arló, the father of Móglaí Bap. Arló is an IRA member who is believed to have been killed by the police, but is actually in hiding. For those who are fans of Fassbender, there are several references to his previous role as Bobby Sands in Steve McQueen’s powerful film Hunger. According to Móglaí Bap, Fassbender thoroughly enjoyed playing Arló because it allowed him to imagine what would have happened if Bobby Sands had survived.
Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams makes a cameo in a scene where the band is experiencing hallucinations while under the influence of ketamine. Initially, I believed Adams’ appearance was created through computer-generated imagery or animation – both of which are present in the film. However, it turns out that he actually filmed the scene with the band. They had asked him, expecting him to decline, but he agreed. According to Mo Chara, Adams did request to change the swear word “fucking” to “flipping.” The band had anticipated that he might have reservations about the drug use, but it was actually the profanity that concerned him.
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The movie is set to be released this summer, with Fine Art preceding it. Fine Art, produced by Toddla T, was created in a rapid three-week period during the summer of 2023. The band had many songs prepared before entering the studio, but decided to scrap them all and write new ones on the spot. The concept behind Fine Art revolves around a night spent in a pub, similar to the one described in the film. Interwoven between songs are spoken portions, depicting people stepping outside for a smoke or going to the bathroom to do cocaine. The album features a diverse range of music, from a beautiful opening track featuring Radie Peat of Lankum and a 1960s jazz sample, to the bass-driven groove of “Better Way to Live” which includes Fontaines DC’s Grian Chatten on the chorus, to a sample of 808 State’s iconic song “Cübik” in “Ibh Fiacha Linne”. The final track, “Way Too Much”, is an uplifting piano house tune, perfect for listening to after a night of adventure while watching the sunrise. The title of “Ibh Fiacha Linne” (loosely translated as “In Debt To Us”) made me burst out laughing. It seems to be about gangsters demanding money, which is partly true, but according to the band, it also reflects their experiences of being cheated by promoters and wanting to take matters into their own hands.
The band had two main ideas in their mind. Their first goal was to demonstrate that Irish music could be incorporated into various styles of music. Additionally, they drew inspiration from the documentary “Dancing on Narrow Ground” which showcased the rave culture in Belfast during the 1990s. The film captured a time when young individuals from both nationalist and unionist backgrounds came together in a field to dance, but were unable to socialize afterwards as there was no neutral location for them to gather.
Mo Chara describes the documentary as a popular and significant piece of culture. It captures the shift in attitudes among young people in the 1990s, as they moved away from the rave and ecstasy culture. As an example, the documentary mentions the unifying effect of raves, bringing together individuals from both Protestant and Catholic backgrounds.
The text discusses a controversial mural depicting the burning of a police vehicle in Ireland’s North, and BBC radio host Stephen Nolan’s negative opinion of it. During a conversation about the mural, Nolan’s team contacts Kneecap’s manager to invite them onto his show, but the band declines due to a recent grant cancellation. The grant, which was awarded by the Music Export Growth Scheme, was privately overruled by the UK government. When asked for a reason, a spokesperson for Kemi Badenoch stated that the government does not support giving funds to those who oppose the United Kingdom. Kneecap has since taken legal action against the government.
According to Próvaí, in a diverse society, it is acceptable to have differing opinions about what is funded. It is also not necessary to feel extreme anger or indignation.
According to Móglaí Bap, individuals who express outrage are not interested in understanding our true beliefs. They have the ability to do so, but they would rather remain outraged. There is a segment of society that supports the 12th July bonfires, which are funded by the council, and that is completely acceptable. Personally, I am envious and would love to have a large street celebration like theirs. While we have St. Patrick’s Day, the 12th July festivities span two days. I wish I could attend and partake in copious amounts of cocaine and play a large drum, as they apparently have access to the best cocaine in Belfast.
Drugs play a significant role in the world of Kneecap, as evidenced by their use of Irish words to describe them. For example, they refer to cocaine as “snaois” and ketamine as “capaillín”. The title of their 2018 album, tattooed on Móglaí Bap’s chest, is 3CAG, which stands for “3 chonsan agus guta” or “three consonants and a vowel” in Irish, a reference to MDMA. Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap began using these terms as teenagers while hanging out together. They later lived in a squat and organized events, where they would go out until 2am and then return to play Irish music and dance until 6am. This mixture of MDMA and Guinness is still a central aspect of Kneecap’s identity, blending rave culture, rebel songs, and traditional Irish tunes.
Móglaí Bap explains that Kneecap was created to reflect a specific identity. They were among the first group of young people in Belfast who spoke Irish together, while also participating in youth culture and recreational drug use.
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Móglaí Bap organized an Irish-language festival where he and Mo Chara first met Próvaí, who came to speak. He also wrote a play in Irish about a young man struggling with gambling addiction, which was a personal issue for him. According to Móglaí Bap, the festival and play are about preserving language and culture, rather than solely focusing on economic aspects of a united Ireland.
According to Mo Chara, Irish is not exclusively a language for Catholics or republicans. They believe that Protestants and unionists also deserve the chance to learn it.
We are now on the lower level and the pub is starting to fill up for the evening session. Some of the band’s friends have arrived, including Sinead, who is Mo Chara’s girlfriend and also runs Irish classes at the festival organized by Móglaí Bap. A man with a surfer appearance enters briefly and they all have a conversation in Irish before he leaves. The band shares with me about the history of Irish-language schools being banned until the 1990s and how parents had to fundraise to pay the teachers and keep them operating. They also mention that some of DJ Próvaí’s former students are now Irish teachers. As time passes, we chat over Guinness, make jokes, and engage in some lively discussions until I have to depart.
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The release date for Fine Art, the latest album from Heavenly Recordings, is set for June 14th. The band will also be performing at Reading/Leeds festival in August, and their 2024 tour in the UK will take place from November 15th to 21st. Fans can also look forward to the release of the film Kneecap this summer.
Source: theguardian.com
