Irish rappers Kneecap say ‘f*** Benjamin Netanyahu’ during Reading Festival set

Irish rappers Kneecap say ‘f*** Benjamin Netanyahu’ during Reading Festival set The latest politically charged performance from the West Belfast trio came as the headline spot for Reading Festival on Sunday, where they performed songs from their latest album FENIAN Irish rappers Kneecap have closed out Reading Festival on Sunday, with the trio using their headline slot to criticise Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The trio from Northern Ireland, consisting of rappers Moglai Bap, Mo Chara and DJ Provai – who has been replaced with an alternative due to the arrival of his newborn child – got the crowd jumping with hits from their latest album FENIAN as well as 2024’s Fine Art, with some political messaging interspersed into their set. With a Palestinian flag draped over their DJ decks, the trio of rappers told crowds of revellers "f*** Benjamin Netanyahu”, as they offered messages of support for the people of Palestine. “It’s important to us that we use this platform for what we believe to be right, and some people aren’t as f****** lucky right now, and that’s our brothers and sisters in Palestine,” they told the crowds. “So I just need to take some time to show some solidarity as Irish people; we understand displacement, colonialism and forced starvation of a population that we see right now in Palestine. “So just remember how lucky we all are to be in a field with all our best f****** mates listening to tunes, and let’s be thinking at the same time about our Palestinian brothers and sisters, so f*** Benjamin Netanyahu, and free, free Palestine!” The politically charged performance from the West Belfast trio also took aim at new UK PM Andy Burnhham, with the trio encouraging the crowd to call the new Prime Minister a “w*****”. They said: “ Andy Burnham said a united Ireland is off the table, so everybody: ‘Andy Burnham’s a w*****.'” The band’s controversy precedes them, with member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed terror organisation Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, on November 21 2024. But the case was thrown out in September last year, with chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruling the proceedings were “instituted unlawfully”, with a subsequent appeal by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) being dismissed by two High Court judges in March this year. Earlier in the day, singer Lola Young played a secret set on the main stage, performing her hit song Messy in a Vivienne Westwood bodysuit with her signature statement earrings. Also headlining the final day of the festival were drum and bass duo Chase & Status, known for hits such as 2023’s Baddadan and 2017’s All Goes Wrong. London indie rock stalwarts Florence + The Machine also took to the main stage earlier in the evening, with singer Florence Welch serenading the crowd with songs such as Everybody Scream, Shake It Out and You Got The Love, with Idles’ Mark Bowen on guitar. Closing their set, Kneecap performed THE RECAP, their 2025 track which confronts the media scrutiny and political backlash the band faced for their pro-Palestine stance and police investigations. Set to a drum and bass backdrop by collaborator Mozey, they ended the festival with a crowd as bouncing and energetic as ever.