Irish rap group Kneecap headlined the final day of Reading Festival 2026, using their set to call for solidarity with Palestine and to direct abuse at Benjamin Netanyahu and Andy Burnham.
With a Palestinian flag draped across the DJ deck, the West Belfast trio — rappers Moglai Bap, Mo Chara and DJ Provai, who was substituted due to the birth of his child — performed tracks from their latest album FENIAN, alongside 2024's Fine Art, with political statements woven throughout.
Solidarity with Palestine
Midway through the set, the band told the crowd: "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 added: "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!"
Chants against Andy Burnham
In a second address, the band urged festival-goers to brand the new Prime Minister a "w****r". They said: "Andy Burnham said a united Ireland is off the table, so everybody: 'Andy Burnham's a w****r.'"
The set also featured hits from 2018's 3cag, along with the 2019 single Get Your Brits Out.
Previous controversy
The band are no strangers to controversy. Member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, was 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.
The case was dismissed in September last year, with chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruling the proceedings were "instituted unlawfully". A subsequent appeal by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was dismissed by two High Court judges in March this year.
Other headline acts
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, complete with her trademark statement earrings.
Drum and bass duo Chase & Status, known for tracks such as 2023's Baddadan and 2017's All Goes Wrong, also headlined the festival's closing day. London indie rock veterans Florence + The Machine took to the main stage earlier in the evening, with singer Florence Welch performing tracks including Everybody Scream, Shake It Out and You Got The Love, joined by Idles' Mark Bowen on guitar.
Rounding off their set, Kneecap performed THE RECAP, their 2025 track which directly addresses the media scrutiny and political backlash the band encountered over their pro-Palestine stance and police investigations. Backed by a drum and bass soundtrack courtesy of collaborator Mozey, they brought the festival to a close with an audience that remained as lively and enthusiastic as it had been throughout.
