Kneecap chant ‘f*** the Royal Family’ at London gig after Trump State Visit

The politically charged concert took place on Thursday, coinciding with the final day of the US President’s visit, a week after Sir Keir Starmer met Israeli President Isaac Herzog at Number 10.

Before the trio began their set, a message was projected onto the venue’s wall that read: “Starmer welcomed Isaac Herzog to this city like a king last week. Today Trump is here, the man who permits the slaughter.”

Midway through the show, one of the band members asked the crowd: “Is Donald Trump in f****** England? For f**** sake.”

Naoise Ó Cairealláin, who performs as Moglai Bap, then added: “Release the f****** files,” a comment widely understood to refer to calls for the Trump administration to make public all documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigations.

Mr Ó hAnnaidh then led the crowd in chants of “f*** the Royal Family”, having also led them in chants of “f*** Keir Starmer”.

He later told the audience: “People like us, people like Massive Attack, other acts that decide to use their time on stage to talk about Palestine.

“At the end of the day, all we’re doing is filling a void that the politicians aren’t filling.

“The reasons that musicians and artists are always the people that are the spearhead of these kind of campaigns and movements is because the politicians won’t do it.

“And what happens is artists have platforms like this where we can talk to people without interference from the Government, on the most part.”

Kneecap’s attack on the Royal Family came during a week of intense focus on the monarchy following Mr Trump’s state visit to the UK.

The former US President was welcomed with full ceremonial honours, including a Windsor Castle banquet hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The band, known for its republican and anti-establishment stance, has long opposed the monarchy’s role in British politics and used the show to criticise what they see as the Royal Family’s complicity in state-level diplomacy and global conflicts highlighted during Trump’s visit.

The group, which also includes JJ Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Provai), performed tracks including Better Way To Live featuring Fontaines DC frontman Grian Chatten, Sick In The Head and Hood.

They were supported by Irish post-punk band Gurriers and London artist Jelani Blackman, with an audio-visual presentation from Massive Attack and a speech by Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal.

Mr Ó hAnnaidh also addressed his forthcoming court case. The 27-year-old is charged with allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London gig in November 2024.

He told fans he “wasn’t the first and won’t be the last Irishman” faced with a terror charge in a London court. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 26 for a hearing to determine whether the case can proceed.

Kneecap’s arena date follows a run of sold-out shows and festival appearances, including a Glastonbury set in June that was investigated by Avon and Somerset Police. The force later said no further action would be taken.