The Belfast trio’s new album also came second in the UK Official Albums Chart
Kneecap pics embargoed until Friday April 24
Belfasts Kneecap next week release their second album, Fenian which follows their critically acclaimed 2024 album, Fine Art and BAFTA and Sundance-award-winning self-titled biopic.
It follows a tumultuous 12-months in which the Belfast trio found themselves in the middle of a political maelstrom for vocally advocating for peace and Palestinian freedom at last years Coachella.
They then performed one of the most talked about Glastonbury sets in recent years on West Holts stage and played to one of the biggest crowds ever congregated at the main stage of Electric Picnic in Stadbally.
They also performed headline slots at Wide Awake, 2000 Trees and Green Man festivals, headlined two sold-out shows at 3Arena in Dublin and filled huge UK venues such as Wembley Arena and OVO Hydro in Glasgow.
Now the stage is set for the release of their new album, an accomplished piece of work produced by Dan Carey and featuring an uncompromising underground sound that their fans will love.
Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí said: They tried to stop us by branding Kneecap terrorists, with cancellations, with statements from the Prime Minister himself. We had all the motivation we needed…this isnt a swift reaction, but a considered response to those that tried to silence us. And failed. We havent gone away. The Paddies are back.
To celebrate the release of the new album Fenian, Apple Music today (FRI)
Belfast hip-hop trio KNEECAP have secured their first Irish No. 1 album on the Irish Recorded Music Association’s Official Albums Chart with their second studio release, FENIAN, the IRMA has confirmed.
Initially scheduled for release on April 24 to mark the 110th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, FENIAN was ultimately released on May 1. It arrived roughly two years following their debut album, Fine Art.
The Belfast based trio—comprising Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí—are recognised for their provocative beats, bold political messaging, and weaving the Irish language throughout their music. Their new album also secured the second spot on the UK Official Albums Chart, the highest an Irish language album has charted in the region.
READ MORE: ‘It’s such a complex thing’ – Kneecap’s Móglaí Bap opens up on mum’s suicideREAD MORE: From Tradition to Trap Beats: How Kneecap is helping shape the future of Irish language
The album’s title, FENIAN, represents a bold reclaiming of a slur historically directed at Irish nationalists. Four singles preceded the complete album’s release, with “Liars Tale” arriving on 18 January, “Smugglers and Scholars” on 24 February, “Fenian” on 1 April and “Irish Goodbye” on 28 April.
“Irish Goodbye,” the album’s closing number, serves as a poignant tribute to Moglaí Bap’s mother, Aoife Ní Riain, who took her own life in October 2020.
“Irish Goodbye is about the ordinary things I used to do with my mam,” Moglaí Bap, whose birth name is Naoise Ó Cairealláin, told The Journal. “It never occurred to me that the everyday things we did together would be what I’d miss the most – going for a walk in the park, her giving out to me or keeping me on the straight and narrow, giving me advice. It’s all those little things you miss.”
He voiced his wish that the song might offer comfort to others mourning a loved one, particularly through suicide.
“If people listen to the song and watch the video, I hope something will connect with them that will give them some kind of relief,” he said. “You can’t carry this stuff around with you and blame yourself – it’s not your fault, it’s nobody’s fault. It’s about the process of working through it, and you can work through it, you can.”
Guest appearances on the latest album include Lankum’s Radie Peat, Ramallah-based rapper Fawzi and English spoken-word artist Kae Tempest.
Kneecap abandoned their original successor to “Fine Art” following discussions with acclaimed South London-based producer Dan Carey of Heavenly Recordings. Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap spent seven weeks in South London working at Carey’s studio, while DJ Próvaí stayed behind in Ireland.
While the pair were in South London, Carey connected them with Grian Chatten, the frontman and wordsmith of post-punk outfit Fontaines D.C.
Although the trio ultimately discarded much of their preliminary second album material, two songs, “Occupied 6” and “Gael Phonics,” survived to feature on the finished version of FENIAN.
The band will make their first significant post-album appearance headlining the AVA Festival at Belfast’s Titanic Slipways on 30 May, before launching their European Tour on 8 June in Bilbao, Spain.
Throughout the tour, the group is scheduled to perform at Primavera Sound Barcelona on 6 June, Primavera Porto on 11 June, Rock Werchter on 4 July and Istanbul on 20 July, followed by All Together Now at Curraghmore Estate in Waterford from 21 July to 2 August. Several autumn dates across Europe have also been confirmed.
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