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Facing controversy, censorship threats, and criminal charges, Kneecap had plenty stacked against them heading into Glastonbury 2025 — but when they finally hit the West Holts Stage on Saturday, they turned the noise into fuel for one of the weekend’s most defiant sets.
Just months ago, the Irish rap trio’s set at Coachella sparked a firestorm: During weekend one, they led chants of “Free Palestine” and “Fuck Margaret Thatcher,” only to have their performance cut from the official livestream. The second weekend, which wasn’t broadcast, saw them double down — bringing out streamer Hasan Piker to air their protest live and displaying “Fuck Israel, free Palestine” in giant letters behind them. Several festivals subsequently dropped Kneecap from their respective bills; all the while, bandmember Mo Chara was charged with a terror offense in the UK tied to allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London concert in 2024. For their part, Kneecap have adamantly denied that they’ve ever supported Hamas or Hezbollah.
Glastonbury resisted calls to cancel Kneecap’s set, and on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. local time, the Irish rap trio took the West Holts Stage in front of an energized crowd, with Palestinian flags visible throughout the front rows. At one point, the band claimed the Glastonbury app had even sent out a notification warning that the West Holts area would be fenced off because it had reached capacity.
Midway through the set, Kneecap addressed the global headlines directly: “The Israeli and US media do not want to believe that young Americans agree with us,” they told the crowd. “Young people around the world know what the fuck is going on.” Later, they led the crowd in chants of “Fuck [UK prime minister] Keir Starmer” and “Free, free Palestine.”
Music wise, the band delivered their hard-hitting sound with a renewed sense of urgency, with driving beats and flows and a kinetic energy with the crowd. The set was not livestreamed by the BBC, but thanks to online streamers — like the TikTok account @helenshealingjourney — thousands were able to watch it live, and videos became available shortly after. Watch some of those videos below.
Kneecap has described the backlash around Coachella and beyond as a “coordinated smear campaign,” but they’ve found defenders, too. Johnny Marr publicly backed the group in the days leading up to Glastonbury, saying: “Oppression fears artistic expression. I respect all musicians who use their platform to speak out against injustice, who promote compassion and equality, and give voice to the voiceless.”
Indeed, Kneecap also weren’t the only performer expressing a pro-Palestine sentiment at Glastonbury. Earlier in the day, Bob Vylan led chants of “Free, free Palestine” and displayed several messages of support for the Palestinian people. All this comes just days after a report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz alleged that IDF commanders are ordering soldiers to fire directly into unarmed crowds lining up for food, like a chillingly horrific real life Squid Game.
Elsewhere on site, the festival delivered lighter moments, including Lewis Capaldi making an emotional return and Lorde delivering a surprise performance.
As for Kneecap, they recently released a new single titled “The Recap,” their first new music since all of their recent controversy unfolded. Up next, they will hit the road for their 2025 US tour dates in October, stopping in Nashville, Philadelphia, Toronto, Columbus, Chicago, and more cities. Get tickets here.
For more, check out the Mixtape playlist Kneecap made for Consequence, featuring The Clash, Doechii, and a double dose of Katy Perry.
Kneecap plays recent news coverage about them in the intro to their #Glastonbury set. pic.twitter.com/92GHcsFrO1
— Variety (@Variety) June 28, 2025
@patrick.swayze69Kneecap H.O.O.D Live at Glastonbury 2025 Live: @helenwilsonwales #kneecap #glastonbury
♬ original sound – Patrick Swayze
The BBC wouldn’t show the Kneecap live on TV but a woman called Helen streamed it to thousands of people on TikTok.
“Kneecap is not the story. Genocide is the story. Fuck Keir Starmer.” pic.twitter.com/Y07c6NS6JY
— Liam O'Hare (@Liam_O_Hare) June 28, 2025
KNEECAP at Glastonbury 🇮🇪🇵🇸#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/JHvzKdQiaW
— Laura 🖤🤍 (@lspark_89) June 28, 2025
@theolliewhiteWhat it’s like to be in a moshpit at Kneecap at Glastonbury! #kneecap
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