Kneecap Draws Massive Crowd and Political Spotlight at Glastonbury 2025

 Worthy Farm, June 29: Amid a backdrop of weeks-long controversy, Irish rap trio Kneecap delivered one of the most talked-about performances at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, drawing their largest-ever crowd to the West Holts Stage on Saturday afternoon.

Comprising members Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí — the latter donning his signature Irish flag balaclava — the group took the stage to roaring cheers, following a two-minute warning from event organizers. Mo Chara addressed the crowd with the defiant remark: “I'm a free man,” referencing his recent legal troubles and intensifying interest in the group’s appearance.

Their performance, layered with political overtones, saw a sea of Palestinian and Irish flags waving across the crowd. The high turnout prompted festival officials to temporarily close off access to the West Holts area in a bid to control overcrowding, as fans began gathering nearly an hour before the scheduled start.

Kneecap's set was punctuated by moments of fervent political messaging. At one point, the group made a provocative call to "start a riot" outside Westminster for Mo Chara’s upcoming court appearance, though they quickly walked back the statement, clarifying that their intent was symbolic. "The stress we are under is nothing compared to the Palestinian people," they added, to loud approval.

The performance also featured a surprise collaboration with British artist Jelani Blackman, who joined the trio for a rendition of Harrow Road, culminating in chants of “Free, Free” to which the crowd emphatically responded, “Palestine.”

Throughout the set, politically charged chants erupted from the audience, including “Free Palestine,” and explicit denunciations of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and British tabloid The Daily Mail. Notably, Starmer himself had recently weighed in on the controversy over whether Kneecap should be allowed to perform.

Despite mounting pressure in the lead-up to the festival, including calls for Kneecap to be dropped from the lineup due to ongoing legal proceedings, the Eavis family — founders and curators of Glastonbury — stood by the group. The trio publicly thanked them on stage for resisting external demands to cancel their appearance.

As the set neared its conclusion, Kneecap once again stirred debate with a tongue-in-cheek query to the audience: “Any English here today?” Amid scattered cheers, a band member clarified, “No, no, we're better than that,” before adding, “We f***ing love the English people — it’s the English government we don’t like.” The comment was met with thunderous applause.

The trio closed their set with a final message that underscored the political nature of their art. “This story isn’t about Kneecap,” they told the crowd, “It’s about what’s happening in Palestine.” A final chant of “Free, Free Palestine” rang out, followed by a bold screen projection reading: “The British Government is enabling genocide.”

Kneecap’s Glastonbury performance, both musically and politically charged, has cemented their place at the heart of this year's cultural and political discourse — an act that resonated as much for its lyrical provocations as for the urgent causes it sought to spotlight.