We’ve made it to the final hours of Reading 2026. Florence + The Machine’s rain-dance during ‘Dog Days Are Over’ over at The Grid just absolutely emptied the skies for a proper biblical pissing down, and the sodden festival-goers who remain are more than a little battle-worn. We need one last and mega shindig to make it worth sticking around.
After The Gallery tent speakers turn up for the intro music of Friday’s headliners and fellow countrymen Fontaines D.C.’s ‘Favourite’ (landing like ‘Mr Brightside’ at a boozy wedding), Kneecap beam their now-traditional message about Israel committing a genocide against the people of Palestine and Lebanon, all aided by the UK government. That’s the Belfast rap trio in a nutshell – a party hand-in-hand with politics.
“We use our platform to talk about what we believe is right,” says Mo Chara at one point, paying tribute to those who “aren’t so fucking lucky” and have been silenced. He gees up the crowd through a loud “fuck Netanyahu” and a “free free Palestine”. Later on he’ll lead a hearty chant of “Aaaaaa-ndy Buuurn-ham’s a waaaaaaan-ker” to the tune of ‘Seven Nation Army’ for our new Prime Minister for saying that “a united Ireland is off the table”. He chuckles: “The BBC won’t broadcast that, or will they?” Dear reader, they did not.
Kneecap fans at Reading 2026. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Beyond the headlines and the controversy, you can’t say Kneecap haven’t engaged their following. Still, the fans stick around for a good time; a rave to follow the rally. It’s a measured start with the rumbling ‘Smugglers & Scholars’ before things really go off with the Grian Chatten collab ‘Better Way To Live’ and the pure menace of ‘Sick In The Head’. “Are ya ready for a mad one?” asks Mo Chara. We think you know the answer.
Things get loose with the hip-hop bounce of ‘Cold At The Top’ and the trancey ‘An Ra’ getting the tent moving as they thank the UK for their gifts to Ireland (including UKIP, fish and chips, a mental health crisis, Jimmy Saville, HP Sauce and Bloody Sunday). But the set really kicks off in the second half. The dancefloor-destroying ‘Sayonara’ puts the ‘beef’ in ‘IBEEFA’ before ‘Get Your Brits Out’ and ‘Guilty Conscience’ more than fulfil Móglaí Bap’s request to “oooopen up the piiiiiit”.
Kneecap fans at Reading 2026. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Those in the tent may have been wondering why the camera was focusing only on Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara, before they share that for the last few weeks they’ve been performing with a “provisional” DJ Próvai. The tricolour balaclava-clad stand-in does his substitute rabble-rousing with aplomb while their bandmate takes some paternity leave. “Some things are more important than music, and that’s family,” they tell us. Mawww! “As you might know, the Brits took all our potatoes from Ireland; they took all our cocaine,” continues Móglaí Bap, popping that briefly wholesome bubble, “but we still have all our caaandy,” before rushing into the fattest banger about mega-strength ketamine you’re likely to hear.
‘Liar’s Tale’ goes off with a hollerback against Keir Starmer “genocide armer” as they warn “you’re not getting away with doing nothing” – an earworm Trojan horse attack from a band who’ve been within the “belly of the beast” via the courts. New album ‘Fenian’ has allowed Kneecap the fully-realised knees-up that has always sat in their DNA: an arena-busting live show with the spirit of a lock-in but with the pulse and spectacle of The Chemical Brothers, the electro-punk abandon of The Prodigy, and the truth-spitting fire of Public Enemy – with an eyegasm live production to match.
Kneecap fans at Reading 2026. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Sealed with the one-two-three finishing punch of ‘Fenian’ and ‘H.O.O.D.’ and almighty ‘The Recap’, Kneecap complete our last hoedown of Reading, and the band’s last festival of the summer. “It’s been a pleasure to spend it with you mad c**ts,” ends Mo Chara. Ditto.
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