English trip pop collective Massive Attack have thrown their weight behind Kneecap amid the fallout from the Irish rap trio’s politically charged Coachella sets.
In a rare public statement, the trip-hop veterans called out what they see as a growing climate of political censorship in music. “Do politicians and right-wing journalists strategically concocting moral outrage over the stage uttering of a young punk band… have any right to intimidate festival events?” they asked. “Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story.”
This all follows the now-infamous set at Coachella’s second weekend, where Kneecap ended their performance with projections that read: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” “It is being enabled by the U.S. government,” and finally, “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine.” The first weekend’s show was reportedly censored on the Coachella livestream.
The backlash since has been fierce. The band are now under investigation by UK counter-terrorism police. Their booking agency dropped them. They’ve been accused of inciting violence. But Kneecap haven’t backed down. Instead, they’ve responded by reaffirming their stance and calling out what they describe as “a coordinated smear campaign” driven by “establishment figures.”
“We condemn all attacks on civilians, always,” they said in a recent statement. “It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history.”
Massive Attack echoed that sentiment in their own post, highlighting their long-standing support for Palestine and calling out the British government’s “silence, acquiescence, and support of those crimes against humanity.”
As the debate rages on, one thing’s remains abundantly clear: Kneecap are a true force in music. They used the stage as a megaphone, and now everyone’s listening, for better or worse. And with support from artists like Massive Attack, it seems they won’t be silenced any time soon. Whether or not the industry is ready for that is another question.
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