A Kneecap show in Plymouth - which was quickly organised after the band’s performance as part of the Eden Sessions was cancelled earlier this week - has itself been cancelled, based on advice from “relevant authorities and agencies”, according to the venue.
It comes as calls continue for UK festivals to drop the controversial rap group from their line-ups, with their scheduled appearance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival even being discussed in the House Of Commons. However, dozens of artists have now backed Kneecap, hitting out at the cancellation demands coming from politicians and pundits, which they see as “political repression of artistic freedom”.
Kneecap have been in the media spotlight ever since their Coachella performances, where they displayed strongly worded pro-Palestine and anti-Israel content on screens around the stage. Since then footage has emerged of past Kneecap shows where band members are seen declaring “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” and “the only good Tory is a dead Tory - kill your local MP”.
It’s those on-stage comments that have prompted calls for Kneecap shows to be cancelled, despite the group apologising for the “kill your local MP” remark, and insisting that they do not support Hamas or Hezbollah, which are both proscribed terrorist organisations in the UK.
Kneecap’s planned appearance at Glastonbury has got a lot of attention in particular, including in Parliament where the matter was raised by Conservative MP Lincoln Jopp.
Noting that Kneecap are still scheduled to play the festival, he asked Leader Of The House Lucy Powell for reassurance that “if this band remains on the bill, she will not attend and that she will also discourage all of her cabinet colleagues from attending also?”
According to The Standard, Powell replied: “These are incredibly serious, unacceptable comments, whether they’re against a Conservative MP or any other MP, I totally condemn them and the whole House condemns them”.
“On the issue of Glastonbury, I’m sure the festival organisers have heard loud and clear the comments that have already been made about that band and it is a matter for Glastonbury Festival to take that forward”.
“But I’m sure that no-one in this House would want to see them playing at Glastonbury and I’m sure we’ll all continue to say so loud and clear”.
Although a number of Kneecap shows have been cancelled in Germany in the wake of the recent controversies, most of the group’s UK bookings have been unaffected, at least so far. The exception being a performance as part of the Eden Sessions programme in Cornwall, which was axed on Tuesday.
Following that cancellation, the band announced that they would play the Plymouth Pavillions instead on the date when the Eden Sessions show was due to take place. But that show has now been axed too.
Confirming the cancellation, the venue said in a statement, “Having taken advice from relevant authorities and agencies, it has been agreed that Kneecap’s performance at our venue will no longer go ahead”.
It then added, “The safety of our valued visitors is always our primary concern and as such we feel confident in this decision - no further communications will be entered into”.