Kneecap to play tiny London show tonight: “We’re back”

Kneecap have announced a last-minute intimate show in London tonight (May 22). Find all the details below.

• READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover – giving peace, protest and partying a chance

The Belfast hip-hop trio will take to the stage at the 350-capacity 100 Club on Oxford Street a day after member Mo Chara’s terror offence charge – which the band have slammed as a “carnival of distraction”.

“London. We’re back,” Kneecap wrote while sharing details about the tiny gig in the capital. The performance will serve as a warm-up to the group’s headline set at Wide Awake 2025 in Brockwell Park tomorrow (May 23).

Tickets for Kneecap’s concert at the 100 Club go on general sale at 4pm BST. Fans can get the link by joining their official WhatsApp channel – you can do so here.

The poster for tonight’s show features a recent quote from John Lydon, who said the trio “need a bloody good knecapping” in response to the ongoing controversy around them. See the announcement post here:

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A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32)

Mo Chara, 27, has been charged with a terror offence following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday June 18.

It comes after the musician, real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, allegedly displayed a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation. The incident is alleged to have occurred during a show at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London on November 21, 2024.

Responding to the terror charge, Kneecap said they “deny” the offence and would “vehemently defend ourselves”. “This is political policing,” they wrote. “This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story. Genocide is.”

Following Kneecap’s statements in support of Palestine at Coachella 2025, which supposedly “blindsided” festival organisers, counter-terror police began to assess footage from the London gig in question. It is reported that the video appears to show Mo Chara shouting: “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah”. In the UK, it is a crime to show support for either of these organisations.

The band have denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, and stated that they would not incite violence against any individuals. They have also argued that the footage had been taken out of context.

Since the investigation began, Kneecap have been removed from several festivals, including scheduled German appearances at both Hurricane Festival and Southside Festival. They were also axed from the Eden Project bill in Cornwall before announcing a replacement show in Plymouth, which was subsequently cancelled as well.

MPs have also called for them to be removed from the line-ups of TRNSMT, Glastonbury and more.

Kneecap are still set to perform at Wide Awake 2025 tomorrow, at the time of writing. The event has faced its own setbacks recently after losing a court ruling. However, organisers Brockwell Live have confirmed that “no event will be cancelled as a result of the High Court’s decision”.

Meanwhile, various figures from the music world have expressed their support for Kneecap. Tom Morello, Brian Eno, Pulp, Fontaines D.C. and more are among those to have signed an open letter to protect “freedom of expression”. Massive Attack, who themselves have boycotted performing in Israel, also supported the band by saying: “Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story.”

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