Irish hip hop act Kneecap will still be headlining Wide Awake Festival 2025 as planned, the festival has announced. It will mark the band’s first show since they performed at Coachella last month.
The news arrives following a period of intense scrutiny on the West Belfast trio in the weeks after Coachella. At the end of their sets, Kneecap displayed messages on the war in Gaza, writing: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F–k Israel; free Palestine.”
The group went on to face criticism from a number of industry figures including Sharon Osbourne, who called for their U.S. visas to be retracted. A group of politicians, meanwhile, called for Kneecap to be removed from a series of U.K. festival line-ups this summer.
Scrutiny continued when counter-terror police in London announced (May 1) an investigation into videos of band members allegedly calling for the death of elected British MPs and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” The group have since gone on to issue a statement to their Instagram account: “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay,” it read in part.
Consequently, German headline shows in Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin for this summer have been pulled, alongside previously-announced appearances at Hurricane and Southside Festivals. A night at the Eden Project, Cornwall, was also cancelled last month but has since been replaced with three new dates in the nearby city of Plymouth, south west England.
Wide Awake have now shared a statement across their social media platforms confirming Kneecap’s headline performance is still slated to go ahead next week (May 23). “After positive discussions with key stakeholders, Wide Awake Festival can confirm that, as planned, Kneecap will be performing at this year’s festival on Friday May 23 at Brockwell Park,” it began.
“Wide Awake has a proud history of supporting the alternative music scene, and we look forward to staging another unforgettable event showcasing the very best emerging and established talent.”
The post also featured a lengthy signatory list of artists sharing their support for Kneecap and the “freedom of expression,” featuring names such as Pulp, Fontaines D.C., Primal Scream, Massive Attack, Self Esteem and Amyl and The Sniffers, among others.
Other acts set to perform at Wide Awake, which takes place in Brockwell Park, south London, include English Teacher, CMAT, Peaches, Fat Dog and more. Tickets and the full line-up can be found on the event’s official website.
