A thunderous return from the Belfast hip-hop trio.
You could write pages about what has happened to KNEECAP over the last year. Not exactly lacking in controversy prior to 2025, key highlights included being condemned by the DUP and winning a discrimination case against the British government over the withdrawal of a grant from the Music Export Growth Scheme. It all went up a notch when Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) was arrested in May 2025 under the Terrorism Act 2006 for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a gig. All manner of politicians stepped in to condemn them without any real understanding of what was going on. The case was thrown out of court twice, most recently by the UK High Court. KNEECAP are a vital voice for the oppressed and the underdog, never afraid to speak truth to power. Heroes to hundreds of thousands. Misunderstood by an out of touch ruling class of professional politicians.
As we have previously said, all of this massive carnival would be utterly irrelevant if they weren’t also absolutely first rate musicians. Previous album ‘Fine Art’ was a masterclass in hip-hop. DJ Próvaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh), their beats generator, is a first rate student of hip hop history. This album represents a massive step up in the quality of their sound, far more polished and reaching out in a wide range of directions. Long term listeners of KNEECAP will be well aware that their influences extend into EDM, house and rave and that all comes to the fore on FENIAN.
The album is built around the combination of the exquisite backing of DJ Próvaí and the phenomenal flow of Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin). The two rappers can bend anything they care to think of to a beat.
The singles set the tone for the album nicely. ‘Liars Tale’ captures the more polished, but darker, bass heavy sound. A darker sound for darker times. There is a dialling down of the crude, at times childish, wit of their early work. Instead they lock on, as the great rap artists often do, on their adversaries and their haters and go to town. On ‘Liars Tale’ it is Keir Starmer who comes under the hairdryer: “Nah f**k Keir Starmer, Netanyahu’s bitch and genocide armer… You’re just a Tory, dressed in Labour clothing. Never seen a c**t so boring, with a resting face of loathing.”
‘Smugglers and Scholars’ has an air of simmering menace laid over an inspired beat and synths. ‘Carnival’ mines a similar vein, one of the purest hip hop tracks on the album. Casiokids contribution to ‘FENIAN’ almost turned it into a dark disco track. That vein of EDM goes hard elsewhere on the album.
‘Palestine’ is an absolute album highlight. The focus of so much of their time and effort turns into a truly excellent track. Ramallah based rapper Fawzi guests for a superb cameo. Like much of the Irish rapping I haven’t a clue what he is saying but the manner and the attitude is impeccable. It reminds me of listening to Control Machete, the Mexican rap masters whose attitude and beats always made the language barrier irrelevant. In the high warbling start and heavy beats DJ Próvaí has once again outdone himself.
‘Big Bad Mo’ shifts proceedings more fully into EDM. ‘Headcase’ has more of a jungle/break beat sound to it. ‘An Ra’ keeps the synths to the fore.
‘Cocaine Hill’ is one of the most striking moments. It is like the soundtrack to Peaky Blinders with a stabbing, almost alarm type sound repeating in the background. It is built around a sample of ‘Cocain’ by John Marytn with Lankum’s Radie Peat returning to add her distinctive vocals in a layering on top of the sample. A touch of magic.
Despite being fourteen tracks the album flies by. Before you know it you are at ‘Irish Goodbye.’ The track is doing fine but then English rapper Kae Tempest pops up for an inspired verse.
This is an album of great ambition and focused intensity. The proceedings of the last year have fed into a sort of gang bunker mentality that has then forced its way outwards in white hot bursts of outrage. They were a highlight of Reading Festival 2024 and you feel they are only going to be better in their 2026 performance. We were right down the front last time and will be aiming to be down in the pit again for this one.
Essential Tracks: ‘Smugglers and Scholars,’ ‘Palestine,’ ‘Liars Tale,’ ‘FENIAN,’ ‘Cocaine Hill’ and ‘Irish Goodbye.’
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