Kneecap axed from festival slot after 'half an apology'

Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have been dropped from the lineup of the Eden Project concert series, amid controversy over a clip allegedly showing a member of the group telling their audience to kill your local MP”.

- ROISIN O'CONNOR

The Belfast-formed band have denied inciting violence and said the clip was “deliberately taken out of context”, as they sent their “heartfelt apologies” to the families of murdered MPs Jo Cox and David Amess.

A spokesperson for Eden Sessions, which organises the concerts at the Cornwall venue, said: “Eden Sessions Limited announced today that the Kneecap show at Eden Project scheduled for 4 July 2025 has been cancelled.

“Ticket purchasers will be contacted directly and will be fully refunded ... Refunds will be processed against the original payment cards used. Purchasers should allow six working days for funds to be received into their accounts.”

The cancellation comes as ministers raised questions on Tuesday over Kneecap’s scheduled Glastonbury performance next month.

Security minister Dan Jarvis said: “It is not for government ministers to say who is going to appear at Glastonbury, it’s for the organisers of the festival. But there is, as I have said, an ongoing live police investigation, so the government would urge the organisers at the Glastonbury Festival to think very carefully about who is invited to perform there later this year.”

Conservative former minister Mark Francois claimed it would be “unconscionable” for Kneecap’s performance at Worthy Farm to go ahead, saying they “should surely be barred today”.