The Zine UK

Kneecap's new album is still not out, it was set for release on the day of their Chalk album party, but here's what I know so far. I was lucky enough to grab a setlist at the end of the show, so I can go through the gig in order - It's worth noting that they didn't play the entire album.

Setlist: Intro Nua Smugglers and Scholars Carnival Gaelphonics Occupied 6 An RA Cold At The Top FENIAN HOOD Big Bad Mo Liars Tale

Admittedly, I wasn't sold on the first three singles. My main issue was the mixing, but the live versions were greatly preferable - the vocals centred, the high-end more listenable. In a very positive turn of events, the snippet they posted to their Soundcloud the following day showed massive improvement; clarifying the vocals and providing a much less confused result. Assuming all the mixing proceeds this way, it should be a great record.

Hearing the new tracks live, the energy felt a lot closer to what we've come to expect from the band. Mo Chara carrying the group through the set with precision, whilst Próvai and Móglaí get the crowd invested in the new material. The overall set was noticeably better than the previous times I had seen them, there's been a complete shift in the energy of their performances and it's great to see that they're business as usual.

Smugglers and Scholars opened the set. Interesting choice, noticeable lull in excitement post-Intro. The chorus sits significantly lower in pitch than their usual registers. I think with a few weeks to adjust to the new material pre-tour, Mo Chara will be on good form. The way the flow of the verses will develop throughout the tour is going to be interesting, as they tend to switch it up like any musicians touring the same tracks repeatedly.

Carnival followed, the production on this track massively reminds me of Release by Afro-Celt Soundsystem. Rather than Sinead's haunting vocal we get quite possibly my favourite delivery on the entire record. After months of "Kneecap isn't the story" this does feel quite self indulgent, but it's balanced out with mentions of Gaza and Government distractions. Free Mo Chara :).

Gaelphonics is one of my favourites. A return to form, resembling a track off of 3CAG but more refined. My one critique is that at this point in the show I started thinking, "How many times can the lads say cúpla focal before it gets old?". Thankfully, I don't think I caught another cúpla focal reference for the remainder of the set. Gaelphonics has all the fun I was missing from the lead singles. Hearing "learn your irregular verbs" and "Fuck the Duolingo bird, he's talking some shit" was like a hit of crack, no notes.

Next came Occupied 6. This was by far the weakest track, and it was so short that I'm honestly hoping it's filler/an interlude. There was a lovely attempt at a sort of 2000s UK grime flow in the hook.

Pulled the entire show back from near death with An RA though, as a life long Chemical Brothers fan An RA is a banger. The song's synth melody really reminds me of Galvanise by The Chemical Brothers in the best way possible. They barely got half-way through the track & I was already wondering how this didn't end up being a single. "Fish and Chips, TV license, UKIP, Mental Health Crisis" has been bouncing around my head for days, the delivery on this verse is so fun. The track really lends itself to Mo Chara's writing style whilst distancing itself from their previous work. Still utterly confused as to how An RA wasn't a single on FENIAN, an album meant to release on the 110th anniversary of the Easter Rising - But I am a huge fan of the trance vibe on this track!

Cold At The Top is another great example of the best work on FENIAN. 90s Industrial style production, self-aware lyricism and fantastic live energy. The content covers the typical things you would expect from reading the title, but I'm also never going to complain about the word "braggadocios" coming up in a song. Cold At The Top has a distinctly different vibe to the rest of the album. Most notably, almost gothic rock/Darkwave synth through the chorus. Another thing that really pushed this song live was Mo Chara being just that much more comfortable on stage. He specifically has made major improvements in his performance over the last year.

At this point in the set it's all Mo Chara. FENIAN is an immediate crowd pleaser. Definitely odd to be in a room filled with English people enthusiastically chanting what has historically been an anti-Irish slur. The reclamation angle can be discussed in regards to this decision - am I being a bit too sensitive? Yes. Is it weird? Also yes.

My absolute favourite aspect of this album so far is what I perceive to be The Chemical Brothers influence in the production. Big Bad Mo is another banger. The production on this song is already my favourite by far, and the new clip on Soundcloud sounded even better. It's so much more cohesive in its composition than the other tracks & it was balanced beautifully in the mix live. I do think I saw them all die inside a little bit when the audience started clapping along though. "Balaclavas, tracksuits" I better get a picture, I would've made like £40 wee prick.

Album (so far): 6/10 - Mostly good. Some absolute bangers, but not quite as strong/consistent in production as Fine Art in my opinion.

Gig: 8/10 - Lost 2 points for breaking Mo Chara's back with the weight of carrying the other two.

Overall, there's certainly some hit/miss going on but I have full faith in the corrected album mix, and the live set was engaging and in keeping with classic Kneecap energy. In terms of the live performance, Mo Chara absolutely carried them through. He has improved so much in every aspect. It was fantastic to see a lot of the 3CAG sense of fun returning to the lyrics, whilst still maintaining an air of seriousness whilst covering important topics.

Looking forward to seeing what's changed in the album and in the live set at Crystal Palace park in June.

Just to add insult to injury, here's my best to worst list:

An RA

Gaelphonics

Big Bad Mo

Cold At The Top

Carnival

Liars Tale

FENIAN

Smugglers and Scholars

Occupied 6