Kneecap have been removed from the line-up of this year’s TRNSMT festival in Glasgow “due to concerns expressed by the police about safety at the event”.
The news has prompted a flurry of Google searches and social media posts enquiring as to how TRNSMT ticket-holders might go about getting a refund, according to the Glasgow Times. Though given Kneecap were not headliners, sitting below 50 Cent and The Script on the event’s Friday line-up, it seems unlikely any refunds will be offered by the festival’s promoter, Live Nation’s DF Concerts.
Critics of the rap group have been calling on various UK festivals to cancel Kneecap performances ever since their controversial set at Coachella earlier this year, during which they displayed strongly pro-Palestine and anti-Israel statements.
And when footage was unearthed of an earlier Kneecap gig at which one band member declared “the only good Tory is a dead Tory - hill your local MP”, various Scottish politicians, including First Minister John Swinney, expressed concerns about the group playing the Glasgow festival this July.
However, DF was keen to stress yesterday that Kneecap being removed from this year’s TRNSMT festival was not politically motivated, but based on guidance received from local police. An email sent to ticket-holders says, “due to concerns expressed by the police about safety at the event, Kneecap will no longer perform at TRNSMT - we thank fans for their understanding”.
The band themselves quoted that official update in a post on social media, before adding, “to the thousands of people who bought tickets, flights and hotels to see us play, we are sorry... it is out of our hands”.
Subtly questioning what exactly these safety concerns might be, they then added, “Glasgow has always been a huge city for us - we’ve played there many many times, with no issues ever - make of that what you will”.
According to the BBC, Police Scotland said last week that having Kneecap play TRNSMT would require “a significant policing operation”.
It’s possible that police anticipated that, given how newsworthy Kneecap have become in recent weeks, their performance might result in an impromptu pro-Palestine protest alongside the festival. Because the event takes place within the city, rather than in a rural setting, that would cause additional logistical challenges and increased policing costs, which someone would have to cover.
Kneecap’s social media update also announced that the group will play a show at Glasgow’s O2 Academy on the Tuesday before TRNSMT, in place of their festival set. Tickets for that went on pre-sale on the group’s WhatsApp channel this morning, with general sales beginning on Saturday.
In the wake of TRNSMT’s announcement, organisers of the 2000Trees festival, where Kneecap are headlining, put out a statement assuring fans that their line-up is unchanged.
“We are happy to confirm that, yes, Kneecap are still headlining the Thursday at 2000trees this July”, the festival said, adding, “If their recent shows in London are anything to go by, this promises to be one of the most memorable headline sets we’ve ever had at 2000trees”.
Kneecap are also due to play Glastonbury next month. That performance has become a particular target for the group’s critics, who are also presumably putting pressure on the BBC about whether or not it broadcasts their set.