The shows mark the first time Kneecap has performed since Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was charged with a terror offense for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag onstage during a London show late last year. The band maintains their innocence.

Kneecap responded to the charge by stating, “We deny this ‘offense’ and will vehemently defend ourselves,” adding, “This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story. Genocide is.” The group had previously stated, “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah.”

Following the public announcement of the charge, Kneecap performed a last-minute show at the 100 Club in London before headlining the Wide Awake festival in Brockwell park.

During the Wide Awake show, Ó hAnnaidh addressed the crowd, stating, “They tried to stop this gig. honestly lads, you’ve no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig.” He also remarked, “Has anybody been watching the news?! it wasn’t even me!”

The set began with messages displayed on screen stating: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the British government,” similar to their Coachella performance.The messaging at Coachella drew widespread criticism, and the band responded at Wide awake with a video compilation of the political commentary they received.

Kneecap is scheduled to perform at glastonbury next month. Ó hAnnaidh suggested that the terror charge was expedited to prevent the Glastonbury performance from happening. “I’d like to take the time to say, bear in mind I went for an interview with the counter-terror police and within days they came to a verdict that they were going to charge me, never has it been that speedy. The reason it was that quick is because Glastonbury is just around the corner. They’re trying to silence us from speaking on stage at Glastonbury the way we did at Coachella. That’s a fact.”

Bandmate Moglai Bap encouraged fans to gather outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18 to support Ó hAnnaidh during his hearing.

Ó hAnnaidh later added, “mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Próvai from west Belfast and Derry are not the story. We are being made an example of. The Israeli lobbyists are trying to prove to other artists that if you speak out, we’re going to hit you where it hurts most. They’re trying to cancel gigs, they’re trying to cancel my freedom of travel, and the fact that I’m speaking to this amount of people, and I assume the majority of people agree, shows that we’re on the right side of history.”

Wide Awake festival faced its own challenges recently when a local campaign group won a legal battle against the organizers, Brockwell Live, arguing that the events lacked proper planning permission.

Rebekah Shaman, leader of the Protect Brockwell Park campaign group, stated that festivals can only use public parks for 28 days annually without additional planning permission, and the parks were slated to be used for up to 37 days in 2025.

Despite the legal challenge, the festivals, including Field Day, Cross The Tracks, and Mighty Hoopla, proceeded as planned. Brockwell Live stated, “We take our stewardship of Brockwell Park seriously,” adding, “As we prepare to deliver these much-loved, culturally significant events, we remain fully committed to its care, upkeep, and long-term wellbeing.”