Did Kneecap cancel their performance at the TRNSMT Festival? Rap trio disputes festival organizer’s statement

Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap seems to have found itself in another controversy. The band was slated to perform at Glasgow’s TRNSMT festival, but as per reports, they have been removed from the lineup. Their performance was scheduled for July 11, 2025.

According to Pitchfork, a festival representative told the outlet that the band was taken off the lineup because the police had raised safety concerns about the event. Meanwhile, BBC posted an update about the development on X, captioning:

“Kneecap pull out of TRNSMT over police concerns.”

The band reshared the post with the caption:

“Kneecap didn't "pull out" of TRNSMT - Kneecap were removed.”

Police officials noted that hosting the trio’s performance would require a major policing operation. However, the decision was up to the organising committee. In another X post shared on May 28, 2025, the band wrote:

“To the thousands of people who bought tickets, flights and hotels to see us play, we are sorry...it is out of our hands. Glasgow has always been a huge city for us. We’ve played there many many times, with no issues - ever. Make of that what you will.”

The band shared that, to make up for a change, they scheduled a performance at the O2 Academy on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. They mentioned that pre-sale tickets would be available on May 29, 2025, at 10 a.m. through their WhatsApp channel, and general ticket sales would begin at 10 a.m. on May 30, 2025.

The music group was under fire recently, following their Coachella 2025 performance where they shared pro-Palestine messages.

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What happened to Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh?

Meanwhile, Kneecap will be performing at the Glastonbury festival on June 28, 2025. One of the members of the hip-hop trio, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, faced charges in connection with a 2024 London incident where he displayed a flag showing support for Hezbollah.

Ó hAnnaidh is set to appear in court on June 18, 2025. According to The Guardian, the police said the Kneecap band member showed the flag:

“…in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation.”

The band also performed at the Wide Awake Festival on May 23, 2025, where Ó hAnnaidh said during the set:

“I went for an interview with counter-terror police and, within days, they came to their verdict that they were going to charge me.”

He went on:

“They tried to stop this gig. Honestly, you have no idea how close they came to pulling us.”

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In other news, Kneecap is set to perform at the 2000trees Festival in July 2025. In a post on X, 2000trees Festival announced that the band was still set to headline at the festival in July 2025. They also noted:

“If their recent shows in London are anything to go by, this promises to be one of the most memorable headline sets we've ever had at 2000trees.”

They mentioned it would be the band’s third time performing there, but this would be their first time headlining the main stage, which promised to be a whole new experience.