Kneecap Cancels Sold-Out US Tour

Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap recently announced the cancellation of their sold-out 15-date U.S. Tour because of an upcoming court hearing.

Kneecap member Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, will appear before court after being charged with a terror offense by London authorities, accusing him of displaying a flag in support of the Islamic militant group Hezbollah last November during a concert at the O2 Forum.

The group shared the news on social media and referred to the British proceedings as a witch hunt. They went on to promise U.S. fans that something bigger is on the horizon.

“But once we win our court case, which we will, we promise to embark on an even bigger tour to all you great heads,” Kneecap said. “ … We also have some good news. We will be sharing something very special for U.S. fans next week so that we can still link in with you all in October. It’s top secret for now but all will be revealed next week — stay tuned.”

The group has been outspoken about its pro-Palestinian stance and was recently barred from entering Hungary to perform at a popular music festival. Hungarian politician Zoltan Kovacs said Kneecap’s performance posed a national security threat because of the group’s “antisemitism” and for “glorifying terror.”

The Irish group also made anti-Israel comments in April while performing at Coachella.

Kneecap was supposed to perform in 15 U.S. shows in October. They were scheduled to visit venues like New York’s The Rooftop at Pier 17, Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, Chicago’s Radius, The Showbox in Seattle and Fox Theater in Oakland. Bricknasty was scheduled to open for the Irish rappers.

The rappers are still moving forward with their Canadian shows in October, performing at History in Toronto Oct. 14^th and 15^th and at Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre on Oct. 22^nd and 23^rd.