Last week, band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh appeared in a London court on a terrorism charge after it was alleged he displayed a Hezbollah flag during a live performance in the UK in November 2024.
The 27-year-old spoke just to confirm his identity at the beginning of proceedings.
He was granted unconditional bail and is set to return to court on August 20, when legal arguments will be addressed.
The band took to the stage at Fairview Park in Dublin the day after the court appearance, and are also scheduled to appear at Glastonbury next weekend, with the charge certainly not hindering their popularity.
Kneecap band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh.
The rap band is set to play the West Host Stage on Saturday from 4 pm, with the BBC broadcasting the festival for those who can’t make it.
There is uncertainty, however, surrounding Kneecap’s appearance on the broadcaster following calls from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch in recent days for the set not to be streamed.
The Sun reports that the broadcaster confirmed that "decisions on our output will be made in the lead up to the festival."
Elsewhere, British PM Keir Starmer has now called for the band to be pulled completely from the line-up, stating, "we need to come down really clearly on this."
Kneecap.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, the Labour politician said he didn’t think Kneecap should play Glastonbury.
"I won’t say too much, because there’s a court case on, but I don’t think that’s appropriate," he answered.
The band has a string of gigs lined up over the next couple of months, including Boucher Playing Fields in their native Belfast in August.
Earlier in June, they announced their "biggest ever headline show outside of Ireland" was set to take place in London in September.
The band will play at the OVO Wembley Arena on September 18, with social media users delighted with the announcement.
Next month, the band will play at the O2 Academy in Glasgow in a gig they scheduled to "make up" to their fans after they were pulled from TRNSMT.
The axing came after Police Scotland said the band’s performance would require a "significant policing operation."
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
Comments