Kneecap at Crystal Palace Park: A politically charged, celebratory knees-up
A party at the Palace...
The line-ups of some one-day festivals feel like they have been scribbled on the back of a cigarette packet, but this wasn’t the case for Kneecap at Crystal Palace Park.
The gig, curated by the band themselves, was a considered, creative affair that brought a swathe of mainly Irish musicians and politically-likeminded folk together to South London for one big, bawdy knees-up.
For Kneecap, this gig marked their biggest headline show to date and the London Irish crowd turned up brilliantly in support. Everywhere you looked, there were Irish flag bearers, county shirt wearers and despite the 30-degree plus heat, DJ Próvaí-esque balaclavas worn throughout.
It all kicked off with a snarl, with opening band Madra Salach offering up an intense bout of Irish folk and ending with the rousing The Man Who Seeks Pleasure.
Gurriers arrived an hour later to test out the circle pits, with DesGoblin charging up the crowd. The band supported Kneecap at their other huge London gig, Wembley Arena back in September ‘25, and were just as riotous this time around.
Biig Piig, on next, proved a fantastic respite from the guitar crunch, with the sun playing the perfect backdrop for the shimmering I Don’t Want To Hurt You. When Kerosene ends, it’s a shame that comedian Mike Rice comes on to try and stoke up a revolt in the crowd, as it pops the blissed out bubble.
Local lads Fat Dog (the only non Irish group in the line-up) are a standout — lead singer Joe Love comes out in an England top to punctuate the fact, thankfully getting cheered (and jeered) as a result — but their setlist is lapped up by the party at the Palace.
The anthemic Peace Song, Joy Division-nodding Wither, and Running, are a fantastic three-song climax, while newest single Go Fuck Urself is a deliriously danceable ear worm.
To get things back on an Irish track, Dundalk’s The Mary Wallopers brought their spin on traditional Irish music to the masses. Whether you have followed them since 2019, or found them through their songs As I Roved Out and The Rich Man and the Poor Man soundtracking Netflix’s House Of Guinness, this is a band that needs to be seen live.
Kicking off with Bold O'Donahue was a joy, turning the crowd into a ceilidh, with the dancing not stopping until final track Frost Is All Over.
And just like that, the sun goes down, welcomed spots of rain appear and a double rainbow is seen in the sky. Underneath all the thundering there's magic and at 20:25 on the dot, DJ Próvaí appears on stage, soundtracked by the instrumental Éire go Deo.
The rest of the band arrive and perfect the next two tracks from latest album FENIAN; Smugglers & Scholars and Carnival, the latter charting the very public court case of band member Mo Chara’s terrorism charge.
Never shy to put the boot in, the set is peppered with “Fuck Keir Starmer” chants, which land a little more triumphantly given recent goings-on, as well as a “Free Free Palestine”. But it never descends into chaos.
If anything, both Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap are more than happy to stop tracks midway through to help out people in the crowd pits who look to be in any trouble.
This leaves the setlist to do the talking and it’s blistering. The run of Better Way to Live, Sick in the Head and C.E.A.R.T.A is joyous and it’s a really powerful moment when Londoner Kae Tempest joins the band on stage for the melancholic Irish Goodbye.
Things get even more poignant when Get Your Brits Out is dedicated to Trevor Dietz, longtime manager of Fontaines DC and early supporter and friend of the band who died in June.
The end of the set puts away the politics and descends into a party, with Big Bad Mo, Parful, Hood and The Recap highlighting a band that are at the peak of their powers, closing a day-long gig that will live long in the memory of the 25,000 strong crowd.
An Irish goodbye, indeed.
Kneecap are part of a series of gigs at Crystal Palace Park, with other headliners including: Two Door Cinema Club and The Offspring. Upcoming shows are as follows: Snow Patrol (3 July) and Alanis Morissette (4 July). Head to Festival Republic for more details.
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