Kneecap

[Lazarus]

A thread about the band Kneecap.
Love them or loathe them (I’m in the latter) they’re getting a lot of press at the moment.

My hackles were raised when I heard them chanting
Tiocfaidh ár lá, get the Brits out on BBCR6.
I grew up in west central Scotland where religious bigotry and hatred amongst Catholic and Protestant was fairly commonplace and those words were spray painted on walls all around me; perhaps that speaks more to the negative connotation I put on that phrase but I couldn’t believe my ears that this was being played on the national broadcaster’s radio stations and nobody was arsed.

Anyway, like all decent folks\s, they’re falling over themselves to give us a death count of children in Gaza whilst shouting that the only decent Tory is a dead one, or words to that effect, and encouraging people to ‘kill your MP’ which was taken out of context. I’m not sure what context is normally appropriate for saying that in, tbf.
For context they apparently also shouted support for Hezbollah, and waved Hezbollah flags, but said they don’t support them.

They’ve now given a half-arsed DARVO-type apology, once again shoehorning the Gaza children death count, which I’m sure the family of David Amess and Jo Cox will find comfort in… 🫠
In their statement, they suggest they’re only being targeted for “telling the truth”

thoughts on them?

For me, putting everything else aside, that style of music (them, Fontaines DC, Idles, Sleaford Mods - uhh, I can’t stand it. And I say that as someone who has all Sleaford Mods early albums and singles and saw them live loads.)

Belfast band apologises to families of Sir David Amess and Jo Cox

The rap group says it does not support Hamas or Hezbollah and would not seek to incite violence against anyone.

www.bbc.co.uk

Kneecap's phoney punk act has been unmasked

Counter-terror cops said they’re looking into Kneecap’s seeming expressions of support for Hamas and Hezbollah

www.spectator.co.uk

https://www.archive.is/oldest/https...5/apr/28/david-amess-daughter-kneecap-apology

Kneecap should give 'real apology', husband of murdered MP says https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8dg2z399gyo

 

[Bobby Chariot]

Attention seeking neds, it's getting them publicity I suppose, but normal folk sympathetic to the Palestinians want nothing to do with Hezbollah or Hamas.
When their gigs at various festivals start getting cancelled they might grow up.

 

[Lazarus]

They won’t grow up, they’ll take the Russell Brand route of blaming everyone but themselves.
in one of their statements this week they’ve said: They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide

As if this is all some big conspiracy theory and they’re not supposed to be held accountable. As the Spectator article says, the hypocrisy of those on the left will allow women to be cancelled for saying men aren’t women, but will permit these wankers to be saying it’s fine to kill your local MP, and wave terrorist flags with no comeback.

 

[minimaz]

Not my taste in music so can't say I've engaged with them on that level but people who are in to that sort of music seem to really like them.

As regards their political statements, in my opinion they're all fur coat no knickers, just repeating talking points that they've heard online without any deeper meaning, its very much an older boy told me. They think their on the right side of history and are parroting support for Hezbollah and Hamas and either don't know or don't care what those groups have as their aims.

Their nonsense about "kill your local MP" being taken out of context but then not providing any way shape or form under which that would be acceptable to say.

I think we have to acknowledge that there are a certain percentage of people who long for the troubles to be back so they can continue a "righteous" war whereas the vast majority of us are so grateful for peace and that people had the sense to sign up for the GFA. Paddy Kielty whos Dad was killed during the troubles did a great documentary about the GFA and the changes it brought but you could still see some of the people he interviewed were dying for it all to kick off again

If these were teenagers, I'd have a lot of sympathy for them but 2 are in their 30's and 1 is late 20's its past time to know better.

 

[minimaz]

Glad to see Jo Cox's husband calling them out for their "apology"

Murdered MP Jo Cox's husband calls for 'real apology' from Kneecap

Brendan Cox, whose wife was killed in 2016, says the band's response was "half an apology".

www.bbc.com

 

[Yel]

I find it baffling that they took the UK gov to court to get money. I guess funding the arts is very open to interpretation.

Someone got banned on tattle for saying something in a similar vein about wishing MPs of a certain party should be killed - this isn't twitter or facebook! I'm sure they ran off elsewhere to bemoan about "power crazy mods banned for absolutely no reason" . But that kind of talk is disgusting and it's so prevalent on the big tech social media that people think it's OK, when it really isn't.

 

[nothanksbabes]

I've been to a couple of their gigs, in Derry and Belfast. I'm English but my fella is Northern Irish and likes what they've done for the language. The gigs were fun, not my usual style of music, but catchy and I like the rhyming across languages.

I think if they're going to wade into contentious political events and enjoy the publicity that ensues, you have to take the rough with the smooth. They're emblematic of the age of Instagram hot takes where everything has to be expressed in some shocking soundbite and then when it comes to dealing with the consequences of demonstrating absolutely no nuance later, well, here we are. They come off as much younger than they are to be honest.

That said, musicians have always gone for controversy. I'm a heavy metal fan and the genre has had its fair share of bands saying and doing deliberately shocking things for publicity. I don't know why anyone listens. Musicians aren't the first people I'd go to for nuanced and intelligent political discourse. And I've yet to meet someone shouting about Palestine who can actually tell me what the solution is. And I understand why there's solidarity between Northern Irish republicans and Palestinians, but it's not a very nuanced comparison once you scratch the surface. And there's more than a small element of tribal secterianism that still runs through society, but it's probably not my place to pass comment in that regard.

 

[nothanksbabes]

Not my taste in music so can't say I've engaged with them on that level but people who are in to that sort of music seem to really like them.

As regards their political statements, in my opinion they're all fur coat no knickers, just repeating talking points that they've heard online without any deeper meaning, its very much an older boy told me. They think their on the right side of history and are parroting support for Hezbollah and Hamas and either don't know or don't care what those groups have as their aims.

Their nonsense about "kill your local MP" being taken out of context but then not providing any way shape or form under which that would be acceptable to say.

I think we have to acknowledge that there are a certain percentage of people who long for the troubles to be back so they can continue a "righteous" war whereas the vast majority of us are so grateful for peace and that people had the sense to sign up for the GFA. Paddy Kielty whos Dad was killed during the troubles did a great documentary about the GFA and the changes it brought but you could still see some of the people he interviewed were dying for it all to kick off again

If these were teenagers, I'd have a lot of sympathy for them but 2 are in their 30's and 1 is late 20's its past time to know better.

I didn't see your post, I said a lot of what you already said but less eloquently . They do come off like teenagers.

 

[Lazarus]

I find it baffling that they took the UK gov to court to get money. I guess funding the arts is very open to interpretation.

Someone got banned on tattle for saying something in a similar vein about wishing MPs of a certain party should be killed - this isn't twitter or facebook! I'm sure they ran off elsewhere to bemoan about "power crazy mods banned for absolutely no reason" . But that kind of talk is disgusting and it's so prevalent on the big tech social media that people think it's OK, when it really isn't.

Re the part in bold, it just speaks to what we’ve become that people who are so clearly against us - even these buffoons with their ‘get the Brits out’ chants are taking tax payers money!

 

[Yel]

Re the part in bold, it just speaks to what we’ve become that people who are so clearly against us - even these buffoons with their ‘get the Brits out’ chants are taking tax payers money!

It's absolutely crazy that they win a court case for public funds to support their hateful stuff.

Anyone that dares say it's not the best use of public money will automatically be called "far right".

 

[Lazarus]

It's absolutely crazy that they win a court case for public funds to support their hateful stuff.

Anyone that dares say it's not the best use of public money will automatically be called "far right".

100%. Same as Creative Scotland giving money to that sex show last year.
If opposing this kind of tit makes me ‘far right’ these days then I despair.

I mean; Kneecap shouting get the Brits out. Who do they want to replace us with? A load of asylum seekers?

 

[Bobby Chariot]

Their planned gig at The Eden Project has been cancelled.

 

[Ensay]

What they said about killing MPs was totally unacceptable and, while I'm sure they didn't mean for anyone to take it seriously, it's no excuse. Especially given what happened to Jo Cox and David Amess.

I didn't realise until I read a bit more into it that their MP quote was made in 2023 because all the articles made it sound like it was said this week in addition to their comments about Gaza.

They come across as silly young men who wanted to give an anti war message (understandable) but went OTT about it.

There's definitely a case to make for a united Ireland, but this isn't the way to go about it.

 

[monga]

It's absolutely crazy that they win a court case for public funds to support their hateful stuff.

Anyone that dares say it's not the best use of public money will automatically be called "far right".

Check out the Orange Order and their chants , publicly funded and televised. There’s lots of public money being spent on very dark things in NI from paedophilia to murder .Kneecap are tame in comparison .

 

[pommynoir]

Their planned gig at The Eden Project has been cancelled.

But they’ve already been taken for by another gig in England, which shows ultimately people won’t care.

 

[Wee Nora]

100%. Same as Creative Scotland giving money to that sex show last year.
If opposing this kind of tit makes me ‘far right’ these days then I despair.

I mean; Kneecap shouting get the Brits out. Who do they want to replace us with? A load of asylum seekers?

They won their case and donated every penny of the money to community projects on both sides of the political divide in Belfast.
The term “Brits out” is a lot older than Kneecap and everyone knows it refers to British rule in Ireland and not British people.

 

[pommynoir]

I would implore anyone on this thread who have only heard of kneecap through the news to watch their interviews, maybe even the movie and understand a wee bit more.

 

[Lazarus]

They won their case and donated every penny of the money to community projects on both sides of the political divide in Belfast.

Lovely. I’d have rather that money wasn’t won or lost at all tbh.

Anyone able to dive in and give the missing context around ‘kill your local MP’ or support for Hezbollah, or…

 

[Wee Nora]

Lovely. I’d have rather that money wasn’t won or lost at all tbh.

And I’d rather my taxes weren’t contributing to funding a genocide but nobody asked me what I wanted funnily enough.

 

[Veronicaaa]

I didn't realise until I read a bit more into it that their MP quote was made in 2023 because all the articles made it sound like it was said this week in addition to their comments about Gaza.

Yes, it's strange how all this became some sort of weird international incident with politicians lining up to denounce them just a week after their Coachella show, and not before.