LONDON – Kneecap’s journey while crafting their sophomore album “Fenian” was nothing short of dramatic. The Irish hip-hop group found themselves juggling intense studio sessions with an ongoing legal dilemma.
Band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known on stage as Mo Chara, faced charges related to terrorism after allegedly displaying the flag of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, classified as a terrorist organization in the UK, during a London gig in 2024. Ultimately, the charges were dismissed, but the courtroom drama and the supportive rally that followed fueled the creative process behind several tracks on “Fenian.”
The album title itself is a bold statement, reappropriating a term traditionally used in a derogatory manner against the Irish community.
As the band navigated their legal troubles, fervent supporters gathered outside the courtroom, forming a lively assembly with songs, musical performances, and chants of “Free Mo Chara.” This vibrant display of solidarity inspired the band to incorporate the chant into their new song “Carnival.”
Recently, Mo Chara, alongside bandmates Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, sat down with The Associated Press to talk about the making of “Fenian,” the significance of their live performances, and the possibility of touring the United States.
Their conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
AP: How is this process different from writing your first record?
MO CHARA: We were writing the tracks as Dan Carey (producer) was creating the tracks so like the lyrics and the production was like kind of developing at the same time, same place, which I thought was interesting. It was a very organic feeling. It was the first time we’d ever done it like that.
MÓGLAÍ BAP: Obviously when we were in the studio we had, we were in the Magistrates’ Court during that period, during the seven weeks we had to leave the studio and go to the courts and then also had the Wembley Arena concert so it was quite a busy time.
Usually studio time for bands it’s quite (a lot of) down time but we were kind of going into the chaos of going to court — Mo Chara was obviously — but actually ended up not much of a hindrance. It kind of helped us and we used that in the song “Carnival,” we sampled the crowd outside the court case saying “Free Mo Chara.”
AP: How would you describe your live performances, it feels like a celebration with that kind of energy. Is that important to you?
DJ PRÓVAÍ: Because we have a reputation of being like a band that’s live shows are good, you know people already come with that kind of energy and they have that expectancy so whenever they’re in there they’re up here already. Even when the show’s starting it’s kind of sits here alrdy. (gesturing toward the ceiling)
MO CHARA: It’s almost like the hard work’s all been done before the show so people are coming in and they’re full of energy now. They’re giving us a show as well.
MÓGLAÍ BAP: I think the origins of that is like because we started off doing the music in Irish, a big part of our challenge was to connect with the audience and interact with them in a way that they can enjoy the music without understanding it. Just kind of bringing that energy on stage was a way for the crowd to actually enjoy it because most people don’t know what the (expletive) we’re saying.
AP: Do you think you’d be able to go to America? Is there a plan? Are you trying to get visas?
MO CHARA: See, the thing was we never actually got turned down for a visa, like there was a lot of miscommunications there and I think the media kind of ran with the story that they wanted. We were never turned down.
What happened was we were changing our promoters in America so what happens is you have to reapply for a new working visa and then obviously with the court case going on we didn’t apply for one. So now that the court case is over, I don’t see any reason why we won’t get our visa accepted. Obviously we’ve never been convicted of any crimes in any country in the world.
We just didn’t apply for it because we thought it was probably the wrong time to do it. So I think now with everything being over, there’s no reason why we won’t be back in America soon.
