Johnny Marr has expressed his support for Kneecap playing Glastonbury 2025, condemning calls for their performance at the festival to be censored.

• READ MORE: Glastonbury Festival 2025: See the full line-up, stage times and stage splits

The statements come amid controversy surrounding the Irish rap trio – both for their Coachella set in April which left festival organisers “blindsided”, and for resurfaced footage of 2024 concerts, which allegedly saw them display a flag in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah.

The latter saw Kneecap member Mo Chara charged by the Metropolitan Police with a terror offence, and numerous live shows cancelled. He is set to appear in court on Wednesday (June 18).

Kneecap have consistently denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, adding that they do not incite or condone violence. They have also argued that the footage at the UK shows had been taken out of context, and described the legal action as a “carnival of distraction”.

The band used their headline set at London’s Wide Awake festival last further to further echo their support for Palestine, and speak out against efforts to shut the band down ahead of their Glastonbury appearance.

On Jun 12, campaign Love Music Hate Racism expressed their support for the group, saying via social media statement: “Anyone trying to silence them, or get them pulled from shows, is on the wrong side of history”. They continued: “We call on all to stand with Kneecap and defend Mo Chara on 18 June outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London”.

Today (June 16), The Smiths legend Marr took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to post his support for the group. “After learning that calls have been made for Kneecap to be censored during their Glastonbury set, I think it’s important that I make my own position clear” he wrote. “I’ve played Glastonbury many times and the festival has always had a political aspect”.

“It was founded as a place of free expression and political activism and it’s a fact that I agreed to play there with The Smiths in 1984 purely because to do so at the time was a political act. We are living through very troubling times, but for anyone who’s been interested in me or my music over the last 40 years, I feel like my political stance has always been very clear”.

pic.twitter.com/aQrSz7AWgW

— Johnny Marr (@Johnny_Marr) June 16, 2025

Johnny Marr concluded: “Oppression fears artistic expression. I respect all musicians who use their platform to speak out against injustice, who promote compassion and equality and give voice to the voiceless. I stand with my audience and fellow musicians who call for an immediate end to the atrocities and a free Palestine”.

The musician joins Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten, who recently claimed that the terror charge brought against Mo Chara was “a witch hunt”.

The post Johnny Marr supports Kneecap playing Glastonbury and “musicians who call for an immediate end to the atrocities in Gaza and a free Palestine” appeared first on NME.

Kneecap have released a new statement following their performance at Coachella 2025, which has generated controversy over the past week.

• READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover – giving peace, protest and partying a chance

The trio made headlines on Coachella’s weekend one, after the live stream of their set was cut when they voiced their support for a free Palestine, and also led the crowd in a provocative anti-Margaret Thatcher chant. “Not only was that cut,” they later said, referring to the Thatcher refrain, “our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either.”

At the second weekend, the band provided their own livestream, with political commentator Hasan Piker broadcasting their set live on Twitch. Slogans including “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine”, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” and “it is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes” were projected on the screen behind them as they played.

Following the performance, Coachella organisers reportedly said they were “blindsided” by the band’s pro-Palestinian messages and chants at the festival. Shortly after that, Sharon Osbourne called for a “revocation” of their work visa, claiming their performance “compromised” the festival’s “moral and spiritual integrity”. The band responded in disbelief, calling Osbourne’s statement “fucking wild”.

Now, the group have shared a statement addressing their performance. In an X/Twitter post shared today (April 25), the trio attached the statement with a clip of their manager clarifying their views on RTE Radio 1.

Kneecap called the controversy “a coordinated smear campaign” against their efforts in “exposing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people”.

KNEECAP STATEMENT:

Since our statements at Coachella — exposing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people — we have faced a coordinated smear campaign.

For over a year, we have used our shows to call out the British and Irish governments' complicity in war crimes.… pic.twitter.com/mBojb5QBOP

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 25, 2025

“For over a year, we have used our shows to call out the British and Irish governments’ complicity in war crimes,” they continued. “The recent attacks against us, largely emanating from the US, are based on deliberate distortions and falsehoods,” they said, adding that they are “taking action against several of these malicious efforts”.

“The reason Kneecap is being targeted is simple — we are telling the truth, and our audience is growing,” the statement read.

“Those attacking us want to silence criticism of a mass slaughter. They weaponize false accusations of antisemitism to distract, confuse, and provide cover for genocide,” bringing up “massive numbers of Jewish people” who are “outraged by this genocide just as we are”.

“What we care about is that governments of the countries we perform in are enabling some of the most horrific crimes of our lifetimes — and we will not stay silent. No media spin will change this,” they wrote.

“Our only concern is the Palestinian people — the 20,000 murdered children and counting.”

They praised the audiences at their shows, saying that they “see through the lies” and “stand on the side of humanity and justice.”

“And that gives us hope,” they concluded.

This comes as the band also this week responded to footage from one of their London headline gigs from November 24 being investigated by counter-terror police.

Earlier this week, the group shared messages of support sent by fans following the festival. Among them is one from a retired British Royal Navy officer, which reads: “I love your music. Free Palestine. Fuck the haters”, while another says: “As a Palestinian in exile I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving us a voice on the world stage.”

Kneecap’s long-standing support of Palestine has included recent social media posts and high-profile TV appearances. In their Cover feature for NME last year, they made their stance against what they call Israel’s “occupation and genocide” of Gaza clear, and went on to help raise nearly £100,000 for a volunteer gym in the Aida Refugee Camp in Palestine.

More recently, they hit out at Israel for breaking the Gaza ceasefire in a “slaughter” against the “most vulnerable people on earth”. It followed the ‘Better Way To Live’ artists slamming the Prime Minister of Ireland, calling Micheál Martin a “lick-arse” and “scumbag” after his recent visit to the White House to meet US President Donald Trump.

Back in January, when their film was left out of the Oscar nominations in January despite having been longlisted, the band responded by tweeting: “Fuck the Oscars. Free Palestine.”

Their response was in line with their reaction to the news of a ceasefire in Gaza on January 16, where they posted “we must not forget what Israel has done”.

They also posted recently in response to articles written about their “aggressive” Coachella set saying “honesty isn’t aggressive, fucking bombs are.”

Last year, the band shared their ’10 rules to live by’, which included: “Be outspoken, leave your mark and stand up for your people. Stand up for Palestine, and stand up for oppressed people around the world.”

In keeping with this rule, in November, Bap raised over £30,000 for Gaza food parcels by running 10k a day on tour, the trio made headlines for refusing to take off their Palestine badges in an appearance on Ireland’s Late Late Show, and arranged a Gig for Gaza charity show alongside Primal Scream and Paul Weller.

Also in 2024, the band joined Massive Attack, Nova Twins and more in condemning the far-right riots across the UK following the Southport mass stabbings, and used their massive set at Reading Festival 2024 to denounce anti-immigration riots and “that far-right shite”.

Kneecap were on the cover of NME in June 2024, where they spoke about their dislike for violence. “Obviously I can’t speak for what happened before me,” said Chara, sharing his sympathy for what past generations went through. “But we don’t support violence as that doesn’t make any sense any more.”

The post Kneecap release statement following Coachella controversy: “We have faced a coordinated smear campaign” appeared first on NME.

Kneecap have responded to concert footage from one of their London gigs being assessed by counter-terror police.

• READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover – giving peace, protest and partying a chance

Footage from the Irish-language rap trio’s headline performance at London’s O2 Kentish Town last November appears to show a member shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”, as well as a Hezbollah flag being displayed.

Now, counter-terrorism police are assessing footage from this Kneecap show, as Hamas and Hezbollah are both proscribed terror organisations, and it is an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 to “invite support for a proscribed organisation”.

As Sky News reports, a Met Police spokesperson said: “We have been made aware of the video and it has been referred to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required.”

In response, Kneecap shared a post on X/Twitter of a graphic which read “18 Months Of Genocide Footage Not Under Investigation By UK Counter-Terror Police”, with the caption “some facts.”

Some facts pic.twitter.com/hoVZrqg1hl

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 24, 2025

The image shared by Kneecap in response comes from spoof website Waterford Whispers News, which posted a parody article opening with: “Tens of thousands of hours of video evidence from over 18-months of genocide was ignored by the UK’s counter-terrorism police this week as they turned their resources to investigating footage from a Kneecap concert which took place in November of last year.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch also shared the concert footage, telling her followers on Twitter/X: “In government I blocked Kneecap getting taxpayer funding. Labour didn’t contest the legal case the band brought and they walked away with £14,250 of OUR money. Perhaps now Labour see Kneecap openly glorifying evil terror groups, they will apologise for rolling over. But I doubt it.”

She was referring to when the Belfast trio originally accused the government of attempting to “silence” them, following a last-minute block in February 2024 of funds from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) funding award – issued under the Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) to support the expansion of bands in global markets.

Kneecap alleged that the government had stopped the funding due to their provocative 2019 anti-DUP tour poster, which they claimed “pissed off the Tories”. Then, the court ruled that the move was in fact illegal, and Kneecap have received the £14,250 prize, which they distributed to two charities in Belfast.

“For us this action was never about £14,250, it could have been 50 pence,” said the band in a statement. “The motivation was equality. This was an attack on artistic culture, an attack on the Good Friday Agreement itself and an attack on Kneecap and our way of expressing ourselves.”

They went on to say: “The former Secretary of State Kemi Badenoch and her Department acted unlawfully, this is now a fact. They don’t like that we oppose British rule, that we don’t believe that England serves anyone in Ireland and the working classes on both sides of the community deserve better; deserve funding, deserve appropriate mental health services, deserve to celebrate music and art and deserve the freedom to express our culture.

“They broke their own laws in trying to silence Kneecap. The reason for this was they didn’t like our art, in particular our beautiful 2019 tour poster of Boris Johnson on a rocket.

“They didn’t like our views, in particular our opposition to the ‘United Kingdom’ itself and our belief in a United Ireland which is our right to do. They didn’t like the fact that we are totally opposed to all they represent, embodied right now by their arming of genocide in Gaza,” they wrote.

“What they did was a fascist type action, attempt to block art that does not agree with their views after an independent body made a decision. Their own courts has now found in Kneecap’s favour, as we knew they would. They have tried to silence us and they have failed.”

In govt I blocked Kneecap getting taxpayer funding. Labour didn't contest the legal case the band brought and they walked away with £14,250 of OUR money.

Perhaps now Labour see Kneecap openly glorifying evil terror groups, they will apologise for rolling over. But I doubt it. https://t.co/FbI58UrkBs

— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) April 22, 2025

Speaking to MailOnline, a Community Security Trust spokesperson said: “Hizbollah is a dangerous terrorist organisation with a long record of violence and terror, both targeting Jews around the world and in Syria during the civil war.

“Hamas is a banned terrorist group responsible for appalling atrocities on October 7, including the slaughter, rape and kidnapping of music lovers at the Nova festival.

“It is utterly disgraceful for them to be lauded from a London stage, with the whole crowd encouraged to show their support. We fully expect the police to investigate this thoroughly and take appropriate action.”

Kneecap were unable to comment further on the video or investigation, but this comes after the group spoke out after controversy around their sets at Coachella, and calls from Sharon Osbourne to revoke their working visas.  Their two sets at the festival reportedly left organisers “blindsided” due to their overtly political nature, including showing pro-Palestine projections on the screen behind them and encouraging the audience to chat “Free, Free Palestine”.

Kneecap have since called the controversy “a coordinated smear campaign” against their efforts in “exposing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people”.

“For over a year, we have used our shows to call out the British and Irish governments’ complicity in war crimes,” they continued. “The recent attacks against us, largely emanating from the US, are based on deliberate distortions and falsehoods,” they said, adding that they are “taking action against several of these malicious efforts”.

“The reason Kneecap is being targeted is simple — we are telling the truth, and our audience is growing,” the statement read.

“Those attacking us want to silence criticism of a mass slaughter. They weaponize false accusations of antisemitism to distract, confuse, and provide cover for genocide,” bringing up “massive numbers of Jewish people” who are “outraged by this genocide just as we are”.

“What we care about is that governments of the countries we perform in are enabling some of the most horrific crimes of our lifetimes — and we will not stay silent. No media spin will change this,” they wrote.

“Our only concern is the Palestinian people — the 20,000 murdered children and counting.”

They praised the audiences at their shows, saying that they “see through the lies” and “stand on the side of humanity and justice.”

“And that gives us hope,” they concluded.

KNEECAP STATEMENT:

Since our statements at Coachella — exposing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people — we have faced a coordinated smear campaign.

For over a year, we have used our shows to call out the British and Irish governments' complicity in war crimes.… pic.twitter.com/mBojb5QBOP

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 25, 2025

Speaking to Rolling Stone earlier this week, Kneecap’s Mo Chara said the band speak about Palestine “at every single gig since the band’s formation, long before October 2023 as the oppression and brutal occupation of Palestine has been ongoing for 77 years”.

He said: “We believe we have an obligation to use our platform when we can to raise the issue of Palestine, and it was important for us to speak out at Coachella as the USA is the main funder and supplier of weapons to Israel as they commit genocide in Gaza.

“As I said from the stage, ‘The U.S. government could stop the genocide tomorrow.’ It’s important that young Americans hear and know it.”

He also addressed claims that the group are “anti-Israel”, saying: “Israel has murdered over 52,000 Palestinians in Gaza in the last 18 months, mostly women and children. They have obliterated much of the Gaza Strip with U.S.-supplied weapons and are currently starving over 2 million Gazans.

“People can make their own decisions about whether our message is anti-Israel, but for us, it’s about their government’s sickening actions, not ordinary people.”

Sharon Osbourne criticised Kneecap’s appearances at Coachella, writing a lengthy post on X claiming that the sets “compromised” the festival’s “moral and spiritual integrity”.

She also called for the trio to have their working visas revoked due to the performances. Chara also responded to Osbourne’s comments, saying: “Her rant has so many holes in it that it hardly warrants a reply, but she should listen to ‘War Pigs’ that was written by Black Sabbath.”

The nod to Black Sabbath comes as her husband Ozzy Osbourne, is the band’s frontman. The band then shared another statement with BBC News Northern Ireland about Osbourne’s comments adding: “Statements aren’t aggressive, murdering 20,000 children is though.”

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a founding member of the BDS movement said: “Mirroring Trump’s fascistic targeting of US visa-holders, Sharon Osbourne and the so-called ‘Creative Community for Peace’ far-right Israel lobby front group are inadvertently exposing what support for genocidal Israel truly entails in 2025: a morally bankrupt, explicitly repressive and increasingly desperate strategy of censorship and self-delusion.

“We call on all artists to speak out more loudly than ever for Palestinian rights and for an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and to pressure their institutions to respect the cultural boycott of Israel.”

Kneecap were on the cover of NME in June 2024, where they spoke about their dislike for violence. “Obviously I can’t speak for what happened before me,” said Chara, sharing his sympathy for what past generations went through. “But we don’t support violence as that doesn’t make any sense any more.”

Last year, the band shared their ’10 rules to live by’, which included: “Be outspoken, leave your mark and stand up for your people. Stand up for Palestine, and stand up for oppressed people around the world.”

In keeping with this rule, in November, Bap raised over £30,000 for Gaza food parcels by running 10k a day on tour, the trio made headlines for refusing to take off their Palestine badges in an appearance on Ireland’s Late Late Show, and arranged a Gig for Gaza charity show alongside Primal Scream and Paul Weller.

Also in 2024, the band joined Massive Attack, Nova Twins and more in condemning the far-right riots across the UK following the Southport mass stabbings, and used their massive set at Reading Festival 2024 to denounce anti-immigration riots and “that far-right shite”.

The post Kneecap respond to concert footage being assessed by counter-terror police appeared first on NME.

Kneecap have spoken out after controversy around their sets at Coachella, and the calls from Sharon Osbourne to revoke their working visas.

• READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover – giving peace, protest and partying a chance

The statement from the Irish hip-hop trio comes after their two sets at the festival reportedly left organisers “blindsided” due to their overtly political nature, including showing pro-Palestine projections on the screen behind them and encouraging the audience to chat “Free, Free Palestine”.

After dividing public opinion at the gigs, Kneecap have now spoken out about the California festival performances and defended their decision to speak out in support of Palestine at the event.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, member Mo Chara shared that the trio have spoken about Palestine “at every single gig since the band’s formation, long before October 2023 as the oppression and brutal occupation of Palestine has been ongoing for 77 years”.

As for why they thought it was vital to continue to do so at Coachella 2025, he added: “We believe we have an obligation to use our platform when we can to raise the issue of Palestine, and it was important for us to speak out at Coachella as the USA is the main funder and supplier of weapons to Israel as they commit genocide in Gaza.

“As I said from the stage, ‘The U.S. government could stop the genocide tomorrow.’ It’s important that young Americans hear and know it,” he added.

At their show at the first weekend of Coachella, the livestream of their set was cut after they voiced their political stance and led a provocative anti-Margaret Thatcher chant. Speaking about how filmed footage cut out the chant and failed to show any of the pro-Palestine messages projected on the screen behind them, Chara told Rolling Stone: “We only heard about it the next day and haven’t heard from anyone officially. “It’s not surprising, large companies don’t like to hear the truth unless it suits their narrative and pocket.”

The restrictions from weekend one led to the band providing their own livestream at weekend two – with political commentator Hasan Piker broadcasting their set live on Twitch. Slogans including “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine”, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” and “it is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes” were projected on the screen behind them as they played.

Chara also used the time on stage to say: “The Palestinians have nowhere to go, it’s their fucking home and they’re bombing them from the skies… If you’re not calling it a genocide what the fuck are you calling it?” The band then led a “Free, Free Palestine” chant.

Speaking to RS about weekend two, and defending their decision to speak out, Chara said: “This is something that happens at all of our gigs from Spain to Scotland and Ireland to Iceland because people know what’s happening is wrong and are angry about it.

“The crowd chanting ‘Free Palestine’ at Coachella was a message of solidarity to the people of Gaza from regular Americans who want to see an end to the genocide, despite their government’s arming and funding Israel.”

Other statements they shared included a response to claims that the band are “anti-Israel”. “Israel has murdered over 52,000 Palestinians in Gaza in the last 18 months, mostly women and children. They have obliterated much of the Gaza Strip with U.S.-supplied weapons and are currently starving over 2million Gazans,” he said.

“People can make their own decisions about whether our message is anti-Israel, but for us, it’s about their government’s sickening actions, not ordinary people.”

One of the most vocal opponents for Kneecap’s appearances at Coachella was Sharon Osbourne. Taking to X, Osbourne – who has Ashkenazi Jewish heritage – wrote a lengthy post claiming that the sets “compromised” the festival’s “moral and spiritual integrity”. She also urged for the trio to have their working visas revoked due to the performances.

“Her rant has so many holes in it that it hardly warrants a reply, but she should listen to ‘War Pigs’ that was written by Black Sabbath,” Chara told RS in response. The nod to Black Sabbath comes as her husband Ozzy Osbourne, is the band’s frontman.

The band then shared another statement with BBC News Northern Ireland about Osbourne’s comments adding: “Statements aren’t aggressive, murdering 20,000 children is though.”

More criticism towards the band came from the organisers of the Nova Music Festival– the site of the deadly Hamas attack that took place on October 7 2023 and preceded Israel’s crackdown on Gaza. In their comments event organisers invited the trio to come and visit the Nova Exhibition so that they could understand the other side of the debate, and “experience firsthand the stories of those who were murdered, those who survived, and those who are still being held hostage.”

While Mo Chara did not explicitly say whether or not the band would be accepting the invite, he did say: “There are over 10,000 Palestinians being held hostage in Israeli jails as we speak, many of them without charge or trial, including 400 children who are being held illegally under international law.”

“As I said already, over 52,000 Palestinians have been murdered in the last 18 months, and over 2 million displaced in Gaza. Who is talking about the 30,000 innocent children who have been murdered in Gaza in the last 18 months?,” he added.

“Our message is about ending the genocide and ending the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine. We want people to take whatever action they can to stop the genocide. People can take what they want from our music, stopping the genocide is more important.”

Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, the band’s manager Daniel Lambert shared that Kneecap have received death threats that are “too severe to get into” following their Coachella appearance (via Belfast Live). That being said, while some are criticising the band for the comments, many others are celebrating the trio for using their platform to speak out on the conflict. The band have shared numerous messages of support from fans online.

Kneecap were far from the only artists to speak out in support of Palestine at the 2025 edition of the Indio festival.

Elsewhere, Blonde Redhead ended their Coachella 2025 set with audio of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and the Palestinian flag, Bob Vylan displayed Palestinian flags during their set, and Darkside compared the massacres of the Native American people to the “genocide” in Gaza. 

Headliners Green Day spoke out too. During their set, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong changed one of the lyrics in their pop-punk epic ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ to draw attention to the conflict. 

Instead of singing the original lyric, “Runnin’ away from pain when you’ve been victimised,” Armstrong sang: “Runnin’ away from pain like the kids from Palestine”. The switch later led to Disturbed’s David Draiman offering the singer the view of the “Israeli/Jewish side of this horrific war”.

The post Kneecap respond to Coachella controversy and Sharon Osbourne’s call to revoke their working visa appeared first on NME.

Kneecap have shared the messages of support they’ve received following the controversy surrounding their Coachella performances.

• READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover – giving peace, protest and partying a chance

The trio made headlines on Coachella’s weekend one, after the live stream of their set was cut when they voiced their support for a free Palestine, and also led the crowd in a provocative anti-Margaret Thatcher chant. “Not only was that cut,” they later said, referring to the Thatcher refrain, “our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either.”

At the second weekend, the band provided their own livestream, with political commentator Hasan Piker broadcasting their set live on Twitch. Slogans including “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine”, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” and “it is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes” were projected on the screen behind them as they played.

During their second set, Mo Chara delivered a brief speech, telling the crowd: “The Irish not so long ago were persecuted at the hands of the Brits, but we were never bombed from the fucking skies with nowhere to go.

“The Palestinians have nowhere to go, it’s their fucking home and they’re bombing them from the skies,” he added. “If you’re not calling it a genocide what the fuck are you calling it?” The band then led a “Free, Free Palestine” chant.

Following the performance, Coachella organisers reportedly said they were “blindsided” by the band’s pro-Palestinian messages and chants at the festival.

Shortly after that, Sharon Osbourne called for a “revocation” of their work visa, claiming their performance “compromised” the festival’s “moral and spiritual integrity”.

Now, amid the controversy, Kneecap have shared some of the messages of support they’ve received since their set. Posting a selection of DMs and emails on Twitter/X, the band wrote: “Amongst the hundreds of violent Zionist threats there’s thousands of these”.

Among them is one from a retired British Royal Navy officer, which reads: “I love your music. Free Palestine. Fuck the haters”, while another says: “As a Palestinian in exile I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving us a voice on the world stage.”

Elsewhere, they re-shared a post from an X user that says: “What happened at Coachella is Israel’s worst nightmare. They’re learning that no matter how many politicians they own? And how much corporate media they control? They can’t wipe out the truth any more. Those days are over.”

Amongst the hundreds of violent Zionist threats there's thousands of these pic.twitter.com/a7KfgZzfNW

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 22, 2025

This https://t.co/BC6tabw6tp

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 23, 2025

Over on their Instagram story they’ve also shared similar messages of support, including an infographic from content creator Danny Price which criticises Osbourne’s post.

“If people are losing their shit about Kneecap displaying ‘Fuck Israel’ on an LCD screen, they’re gonna be absolutely livid when they see the videos of IOF soldiers snipering Palestinian children on everyone’s phone screen,” the post reads. “I wish the people screaming about Kneecap’s protest showed even a fraction of that outrage for the tens of thousands of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces.”

Price continued: “But, just for the record, lectures on stage etiquette from Sharon fucking Osbourne – when her husband is literally famous for biting off a bat’s head live on stage in 1982 – is fucking wild.”

Another post from Parody news outlet The Hard Time News shared by the band further pokes fun at Osbourne. “Sharon Osbourne shocked to learn meaning of ‘War Pigs’ after reading lyrics for the first time,” the fake headline reads, alongside the caption: “‘Frankly, I was quite disgusted to see that my own husband was anti-war. It seems he also supports terrorist organizations and witchcraft. I have to advocate for the US government to take Ozzy’s work visa away and send him back to wherever he came from along with Kneecap,’ said Osbourne while out to brunch at a high-end LA bistro.”

The post is in reference to the 1970 Black Sabbath song, considered an anti-war classic.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ｄａｎｎｙ Ｐｒｉｃｅ (@dannyfuckingprice)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Hard Times (@thehardtimesnews)

Kneecap’s long-standing support of Palestine has included recent social media posts and high-profile TV appearances. In their Cover feature for NME last year, they made their stance against what they call Israel’s “occupation and genocide” of Gaza clear, and went on to help raise nearly £100,000 for a volunteer gym in the Aida Refugee Camp in Palestine.

More recently, they hit out at Israel for breaking the Gaza ceasefire in a “slaughter” against the “most vulnerable people on earth”. It followed the ‘Better Way To Live’ artists slamming the Prime Minister of Ireland, calling Micheál Martin a “lick-arse” and “scumbag” after his recent visit to the White House to meet US President Donald Trump.

Back in January, when their film was left out of the Oscar nominations in January despite having been longlisted, the band responded by tweeting: “Fuck the Oscars. Free Palestine.”

Their response was in line with their reaction to the news of a ceasefire in Gaza on January 16, where they posted “we must not forget what Israel has done”.

They also posted recently in response to articles written about their “aggressive” Coachella set saying “honesty isn’t aggressive, fucking bombs are.”

Last year, the band shared their ’10 rules to live by’, which included: “Be outspoken, leave your mark and stand up for your people. Stand up for Palestine, and stand up for oppressed people around the world.”

In keeping with this rule, in November, Bap raised over £30,000 for Gaza food parcels by running 10k a day on tour, the trio made headlines for refusing to take off their Palestine badges in an appearance on Ireland’s Late Late Show, and arranged a Gig for Gaza charity show alongside Primal Scream and Paul Weller.

Also in 2024, the band joined Massive Attack, Nova Twins and more in condemning the far-right riots across the UK following the Southport mass stabbings, and used their massive set at Reading Festival 2024 to denounce anti-immigration riots and “that far-right shite”.

The post Kneecap share messages of support after Coachella Palestine controversy and Sharon Osbourne’s visa ban call appeared first on NME.

Nicolas Jaar of the group Darkside has used their sets at Coachella 2025 to share support for Palestine and call out the actions of ICE.

• READ MORE: Darkside – ‘Spiral’ review: a gorgeous, filmic record that rewards with each spin

The trio performed at both weekend one and weekend two of this year’s edition of the California festival, and Jaar used their time on stage in the Gobi Tent to draw the audience’s attention to several political issues.

He began by highlighting at weekend one how Southern California is the ancestral home to numerous Native American tribes. He then looked back at how countless numbers of these people were killed in the mass murders across the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and compared it to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

“Here were committed the genocides that are the blueprint for what’s happening in Palestine right now, the same racist logic,” he said (via Billboard). “We must continue resisting, even from the belly of the beast, because this genocide is funded by American money, with technology from Silicon Valley, thanks to the complicity of all the politicians in this country.”

He then went on to call out the “run-for-profit” ICE detention jails. This included mentioning Mahmoud Khalil – a Columbia University graduate, currently detained at an immigration detention centre following on-campus protests – and encouraging people to stand up against those “making money off keeping people in cells”.

Nicolas Jaar talking about Palestine, the genocides that happened on the grounds of Coachella being the blueprint for what's happening in Palestine, Mahmoud Khalil and all the unlawful detention going on and more during Darkside's spectacular set at #Coachella. Free Palestine pic.twitter.com/CZLji3KmZ1

— F (@misss_ff) April 13, 2025

“These days, as some of you may know, just protesting a genocide that is happening means that you can get deported, like Mahmoud Khalil,” he told the audience on April 12.

“That doesn’t feel right. Mahmoud and many others are in ICE detention jails. These jails are run for profit by groups like CoreCivic and The GEO Group,” he alleged. “They make money off of keeping people in cells. We need to keep fighting them. For the sake of everyone there stuck without trial, and with no hope, we need to give hope. Thank you, everyone.”

As per Billboard, the musician also made a similar statement at the weekend two slot on Saturday (April 19).

“We’ve been on tour for about a month and a half, and during this month and a half, the administration of this country has been deporting people for their political views,” he said. “They have been locking people up in ICE detention jails. The prisoner count of this country keeps on being the highest in the entire world.”

“There’s more people locked up in California than at Coachella right now, and this country keeps on arming and funding, also with tech and Silicon Valley, the genocide of the Palestinian people and arming and funding Israel’s system of apartheid and ethnic cleansing,” he added.

“But the problem doesn’t stop at this administration and the administration of that country. It’s much deeper than that… It’s based off a system of racism, of ethnic cleansing both here in these lands, and also there. And there’s no way to continue on this planet without the empires falling as soon as possible.”

‘There’s no way to continue without the empire falling. There’s no future without land back’ Nicolas Jaar talking about ICE deportations and the genocide in Palestine during Darkside's weekend 2 set at #Coachella , doubling down on last week’s speech. It’s always Free Palestine pic.twitter.com/nLIRfCmi7o

— F (@misss_ff) April 20, 2025

Darkside weren’t the only artists on the Coachella 2025 line-up to use their platform to voice their political outlook. Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap left organisers supposedly “blindsided” by their on-stage comments.

At weekend one, the livestream of their set was cut after they voiced their support for a free Palestine, and also led the crowd in a provocative anti-Margaret Thatcher chant.

“Not only was that cut,” they later said, referring to the Thatcher refrain, “our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either.”

At the second weekend, the band provided their own livestream, with political commentator Hasan Piker broadcasting their set live on Twitch. Slogans including “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine”, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” and “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes” were projected on the screen behind them as they played.

Elsewhere, Blonde Redhead ended their Coachella 2025 set with audio of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and the Palestinian flag, Bob Vylan displayed Palestinian flags during their set, and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong changed one of the lyrics in their pop-punk epic ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ to draw attention to the conflict. 

Instead of singing the original lyric, “Runnin’ away from pain when you’ve been victimised,” Armstrong sang: “Runnin’ away from pain like the kids from Palestine”. The switch later led to Disturbed’s David Draiman offering the singer the view of the “Israeli/Jewish side of this horrific war”.

Sharon Osbourne has called for a “revocation of Kneecap’s work visa” after she claimed that their performance at Coachella “compromised” the festival’s “moral and spiritual integrity”.

Osbourne wrote: “At a time when the world is experiencing significant unrest, music should serve as an escape, not a stage for political discourse.” She also said that Green Day’s action “would have been more appropriate at their own concert, not at a festival”.

The post Darkside member calls out “genocide” in Palestine and actions of ICE at Coachella 2025 appeared first on NME.

Zedd has brought out Incubus to perform several songs at Coachella 2025 – check out footage of the performance below.

• READ MORE: Incubus’ Brandon Boyd on 20 years of ‘Morning View’: “We wanted to change our environment dramatically”

On Sunday (April 20), EDM DJ and producer Zedd performed at Coachella’s Outdoor Theatre and turned in a star-studded performance to rival his April 13 set at the Californian music festival.

Zedd’s April 13 set saw him bring out the likes of John Mayer, Bea Miller, Alessia Cara, Maren Moris and Julia Michaels. For his April 20 set, he brought out Incubus, as well as returning features from Bea Miller and Alessia Cara.

Midway through his set on Sunday, Zedd switched over from the DJ console to a drum kit, where he introduced Incubus’ Brandon Boyd before going on to perform three songs from Incubus’ discography.

Together, they played ‘Drive’, ‘Wish You Were Here’ and ‘Pardon Me’. Check out footage of the performances below.

Zedd and Incubus performing «Drive» at Coachella! #ZEDDCHELLA pic.twitter.com/iNurK6dGAs

— It Sounds Alternative (@itsoundsalt) April 21, 2025

Zedd x #Incubus at Coachella 2025 pic.twitter.com/oTZQ6T1ZZn

— JoséIgnacio C. (@bigpepenacho) April 21, 2025

Later on in the set, Zedd was joined by the Los Angeles Philharmonic to close out the show. Together, they kicked off a three-song performance beginning with a cover of the Severance theme song. The performance prompted a reaction from Severance director and beloved actor Ben Stiller on X.

Check it out below.

#Severance #Coachella2025 @Zedd pic.twitter.com/Ew4oWq8YOk

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) April 21, 2025

Zedd and the LA Philharmonic would then perform Zedd’s ‘1685’ and his biggest hit ‘Clarity’ to close out his Coachella 2025 run.

Zedd’s April 20 set at Coachella 2025 was:

‘Everything In It’s Right Place’ (Radiohead song)
‘Stay The Night’
‘Good Times’ (Chic song)
‘Squid Game (Let’s Play)’ (Alok song)
‘Do It To It’ (ACRAZE song)
‘Starving/The Bass’ (Hailee Steinfeld song)
‘Tangerine Rays’ (with Bea Miller)
‘Out of Time’ (with Bea Miller)
‘I Want You to Know’
‘One More Time (Zedd Remix)’ (Daft Punk song)
‘Sona’
‘Lucky’
‘Drive’ (with Incubus)
‘Wish You Were Here’ (with Incubus)
‘Pardon Me’ (with Incubus)
‘The Middle’
‘Stay’ (with Alessia Cara)
‘Break Free/Keep It Real) (Ariana Grande song)
‘Shanti’
‘Beautiful Now’
‘Severance’ (with LA Philharmonic)
‘1685’ (with LA Philharmonic)
‘Clarity’ (with LA Philharmonic)

Meanwhile, Coachella has announced the dates for its 2026 festival as well as advance ticketing sales – see all the details here.

Coachella 2025 was headlined by Lady Gaga, Green Day and Post Malone, with additional performances from the likes of Charli XCX, Travis Scott, Kneecap, Tyla, Megan Thee Stallion, Sam Fender, Ed Sheeran, Beth Gibbons, Misfits, Benson Boone, Japanese Breakfast, The Prodigy, solo performances from BLACKPINK‘s Jennie and Lisa and many more.

The post Watch Zedd bring out Incubus for ‘Drive’ and more at Coachella 2025 appeared first on NME.

Coachella 2026 has been locked in – see the dates for next year’s festival and more information below.

• READ MORE: Every Coachella line-up poster since 1999

Hot off the heels of Coachella 2025’s conclusion, the iconic Californian music festival has revealed the dates for next year’s event. One again, Coachella will return to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

Coachella has confirmed that next year’s run will take place between April 10 and 12, and again on April 17 to 19, 2026. At this time, no artists have been revealed for the line-up – Coachella’s line-up is typically revealed between October and December, a couple of months before the festival. Stay tuned for more updates.

As for when tickets to Coachella 2026 go on sale, it’s not a long wait. Advanced tickets will go live next Friday (May 2), at 11am Pacific or 6pm GMT – you’ll be able to get yours here.

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A post shared by Coachella (@coachella)

Coachella 2025 was headlined by Lady Gaga, Green Day and Post Malone, with additional performances from the likes of Charli XCX, Travis Scott, Kneecap, Tyla, Megan Thee Stallion, Sam Fender, Ed Sheeran, Beth Gibbons, Misfits, Benson Boone, Japanese Breakfast, The Prodigy, solo performances from BLACKPINK‘s Jennie and Lisa and many more.

Among the headlines from Coachella 2025 were a mini-feud between fans of Charli XCX and Green Day. Tensions rose after Green Day closed out the main stage on day two of Coachella, with Charli performing right before them. At an afterparty, Charli XCX ruffled feathers by donning a “Miss Should Be Headliner” sash, which was interpreted as a dig towards Green Day.

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong sported a ‘Brat’ cap during weekend two’s performance, while drummer Tré Cool wore an “Actual Headliner” sash, all in good jest. Charli has since said she’s “obsessed” with their responses, seemingly ending the “beef”. Charli XCX has also declared the end of ‘Brat Summer’, passing the torch to a number of other musicians.

Elsewhere, Kneecap have turned heads as well. During their week one performance, their livestream was cut out after they voiced their support for a free Palestine, and also led the crowd in a provocative anti-Margaret Thatcher chant. “Not only was that cut,” they later said, referring to the Thatcher refrain, “our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either.”

At the second weekend, the band provided their own livestream, with political commentator Hasan Piker broadcasting their set live on Twitch. Slogans including “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine”, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” and “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes” were projected on the screen behind them as they played.

During their second set, Mo Chara delivered a brief speech, telling the crowd: “The Irish not so long ago were persecuted at the hands of the Brits, but we were never bombed from the fucking skies with nowhere to go. “The Palestinians have nowhere to go, it’s their fucking home and they’re bombing them from the skies,” he added. “If you’re not calling it a genocide what the fuck are you calling it?” The band then led a “Free, Free Palestine” chant.

For more headlines from Coachella 2025, visit this link for all of NME‘s Coachella coverage.

The post Coachella 2026: festival dates and ticket sales announced appeared first on NME.

The organisers of Coachella 2025 were reportedly “blindsided” by Kneecap’s pro-Palestinian messages and chants at the festival.

• READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover – giving peace, protest and partying a chance

The Irish rap trio made headlines with their performances on the Sonora Stage at both weekends of the California festival.

First time around, the live stream of their set was cut after they voiced their support for a free Palestine, and also led the crowd in a provocative anti-Margaret Thatcher chant. “Not only was that cut,” they later said, referring to the Thatcher refrain, “our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either.”

At the second weekend, the band provided their own livestream, with political commentator Hasan Piker broadcasting their set live on Twitch. Slogans including “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine”, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” and “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes” were projected on the screen behind them as they played.

Some uncensored messaging to Coachella pic.twitter.com/WbHZBrCZl5

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 19, 2025

During their second set, Mo Chara delivered a brief speech, telling the crowd: “The Irish not so long ago were persecuted at the hands of the Brits, but we were never bombed from the fucking skies with nowhere to go.

“The Palestinians have nowhere to go, it’s their fucking home and they’re bombing them from the skies,” he added. “If you’re not calling it a genocide what the fuck are you calling it?” The band then led a “Free, Free Palestine” chant.

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A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32)

In a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, Paul Tollett, the CEO of festival organiser Goldenvoice was said to have been “blindsided” by Kneecap’s antics, after Jewish groups called them out for providing a platform for the messaging.

Kneecap’s long-standing support of Palestine has seen them loudly broadcast their message via social media and high-profile TV appearances. In their Cover feature for NME last year, they made their stance against what they call Israel’s “occupation and genocide” of Gaza clear, and went on to help raise nearly £100,000 for a volunteer gym in the Aida Refugee Camp in Palestine.

More recently, they hit out at Israel for breaking the Gaza ceasefire in a “slaughter” against the “most vulnerable people on earth”. It followed the ‘Better Way To Live’ artists slamming the Prime Minister of Ireland, calling Micheál Martin a “lick-arse” and “scumbag” after his recent visit to the White House to meet US President Donald Trump.

Back in January, when their film was left out of the Oscar nominations in January despite having been longlisted, the band responded by tweeting: “Fuck the Oscars. Free Palestine.”

Their response was in line with their reaction to the news of a ceasefire in Gaza on January 16, where they posted “we must not forget what Israel has done”.

The post Coachella organisers were “blindsided” by Kneecap’s pro-Palestinian messages appeared first on NME.

Deadmau5 has apologised for his performance at Coachella 2025, saying he was so drunk that he “doesn’t remember a thing”.

• READ MORE: Deadmau5 talks ‘World Of Tanks Blitz’ collab ‘Familiars’ and new music: “Let’s get a little weird with it”

The Canadian DJ and producer – real name Joel Zimmerman – was scheduled to play a three and a half hour set under his alter ego Testpilot B2B with ZHU, on the festival’s new Quasar Stage on Friday night (April 18).

However, the set would end up being cut short after Deadmau5 got noticeably intoxicated, drinking shots on stage and making slurred comments into the microphone.

See some fan-captured accounts of the set from the California site below, many of which note that they still enjoyed the show.

@stagehoppers

Deadmau5 shortly before getting kicked off stage for being drunk set was a good time though! #deadmau5 #coachella2025 #coachella

♬ original sound – Stage Hoppers

@autografmusic

Deadmau5 showed up to Coachella and forgot he was the DJ during his b2b with zhu #coachella #dj #djmix #edm #deadmau5 #fyp

♬ original sound – Autograf

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A post shared by Backstage (@stoolbackstage)

On Saturday (April 20), Deadmau5 posted a photograph of a water bottle on his Instagram, writing: “I dont remember a thing. But I don’t think I had a cig? So… that’s good I guess? Going back to bed. Wake me up around Thursday ish.”

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A post shared by deadmau5 (@deadmau5)

In the comment section, he quipped that it would “probably” be his last Coachella appearance, while later in the day, he posted a pic of his cat, adding: “Man, even my cat is disappointed in me. Tho, it could be argued that she always has been.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by deadmau5 (@deadmau5)

“Sorry about last night. Lol.” he continued. “TO BE FAIR, I felt the first 3/4 was great! Huge shout out to @zhu for introducing me to whisky and carrying my dumb ass till the bitter end. lemme quit smoking, do some fucken personal resetting here at home, find my spirit animal, work on some new music, and come back better.”

In other news, Deadmau5 reportedly secured a massive $55million deal with Create Music Group for his recorded music catalogue earlier this year, spanning over 4000 releases. The deal is said to include the publishing and master recordings of the artist’s catalogue, as well as his Mau5trap record label. It also includes interest in future releases from Deadmau5 as well as the label.

The post Deadmau5 apologises for drunken set at Coachella 2025: “I don’t remember a thing” appeared first on NME.