Belfast trio Kneecap used their Wembley set to hurl obscenities at Donald Trump, lead anti-establishment chants and demand transparency.
Belfast rap trio Kneecap used a high-profile Wembley appearance to deliver a blistering critique of Donald Trump’s recent state visit to the UK, mixing explicit insults with political theatre and calls for transparency.
According to Mirror, The group — made up of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (also known as Mo Chara), Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap) and JJ O’Dochartaigh (DJ Provai) — took aim at the US president during their set, with one member audibly asking, “Is Donald Trump in f****** England? For f****’s sake,” and another demanding authorities “release the f****** files,” an apparent reference to public calls to disclose documents linked to the Jeffrey Epstein investigations.
Before the band even took the stage, a projected message accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of welcoming Israel’s president “like a king” and labelled Trump “the man who permits the slaughter,” tying the performance to opposition over UK foreign policy and recent governmental responses to the conflict in Gaza.
The band led the crowd in repeated chants of “f*** the Royal Family” and “f*** Keir Starmer,” underscoring a sustained rejection of establishment figures and policies.
Kneecap framed their interventions as part of a broader cultural duty: during the show Ó hAnnaidh argued that musicians and artists are “filling a void” left by politicians, singling out acts like Massive Attack who used their platform to speak about Palestine.
That theme threaded through the evening, which combined music with political speech — including a presentation by trip-hop collective Massive Attack and an on-stage address from Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Musically, the trio delivered cuts from their repertoire, performing tracks such as “Better Way To Live” — which features Fontaines D.C. singer Grian Chatten — alongside “Sick In The Head” and “Hood.” They were supported by Irish post-punk band Gurriers and London artist Jelani Blackman, contributing to a charged, genre-crossing bill.
The Wembley appearance follows earlier controversy for Kneecap after a Glastonbury set drew criticism and a police review; authorities examined footage but ultimately took no further action.
At Wembley, the band’s relentless blending of performance and protest reiterated their stated belief that artists must use their visibility to challenge political narratives — a stance that will likely keep them at the centre of both cultural debate and media scrutiny.