Kneecap rappers on their unlikely big-screen stardom: ‘If we get an Oscar, we’ll go to Cash My Gold’
“I feel sorry for all these people who’ve spent thousands of pounds going to drama school,” muses Kneecap’s DJ Provai. His bandmate Mo Chara finishes his sentence. “They must be raging after getting all their daddy’s money – thirty grand for their diplomas, and we just mosey on in and maybe get nominated for an Oscar.”
DJ Provai and Mo Chara are two thirds of the republican Irish-language rap trio Kneecap, the unlikely followers of musical greats such as Freddie Mercury, Sir Elton John and Whitney Houston as the focus of a big-screen music biopic.
What’s rare about this one is they play themselves, despite having no previous acting experience – and are seeing their story brought to cinemas as relative newcomers, rather than after decades of mainstream success. “We know we’re very lucky because mostly [musicians] are dead whenever they get films made about them,” says Chara.
The bandmates play themselves in the film, also called Kneecap. Pic: Curzon Film
The band have smashed out of west Belfast and into headlines around the world – although not all positive. They were banned from Irish public service broadcaster RTE for their references to drug-taking, and criticised by some unionists and former British Tory government members for songs such as Brits Out (which they say is a tongue-in-cheek poke at government rule, not all British people – “it only meant British soldiers and the British state out of Ireland, to leave Ireland be in charge of its own affairs”, says Chara).
Likened to Trainspotting, 8 Mile and 24 Hour Party People by critics, the film also stars Irish-German actor and Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender. It started really as a bit of fun the band hoped would be enjoyed by their ever-growing music fanbase.
Expectations have been surpassed. In January, Kneecap won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival, an internationally recognised showcase for independent cinema; earlier this month, the film was named as Ireland’s official submission for the best international feature film shortlist at the 2025 Oscars.
Kneecap goes to Hollywood?
Michael Fassbender stars as Moglai Bap’s father in the film. Pic: Curzon Film
“It gives the film real legitimacy, I think, for an international audience,” says Chara. “We’re obviously over the moon. I can’t wait to go and see all the pissed-up celebrities, hopefully, if we get to the Oscars.”
“Get the nice goody bag with the Rolex in it,” jokes Provai. “And if we get the Oscar, take it back to Cash My Gold, get it melted down, make some Claddagh rings for our fans.”
On screen, on stage, and in interview, Kneecap play for laughs. But theirs is a serious story, one that encompasses the impact of the Troubles on the generation of “ceasefire babies”, their desire for a united Ireland, a lack of opportunities for working-class people – or “low-life scum”, as they are called in the film – as well as the campaign to have the Irish language recognised in Northern Ireland.
Kneecap drew huge crowds to two sets at Glastonbury earlier this year. Pic: Sky News
Fewer than 6,000 people in the country speak Irish as their first language, according to the 2021 census. But numbers are rising, especially among younger people – and Kneecap and other artists and films that have brought the language to the fore in recent years have played no small part in this.
“We get loads of messages about it,” says Chara, who is speaking to Sky News on Zoom from just outside Belfast, alongside Provai. The third member of their trio, Moglai Bap, could not make the call. But in fact, Chara says, Bap received a message about this very subject that morning, from an old friend now having a baby. After watching the film, the decision has been made to send the child to an Irish-speaking school.
The film’s director Rich Peppiatt started taking classes himself after meeting the band. Earlier this month, Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey said they had inspired him, too.
‘People think it’s a gimmick – it’s not’
Kneecap’s fanbase has been growing over the last few years. Pic: PA – Electric Picnic 2022
Chara says he feels happy to be having “any kind of effect” on future generations.
“I feel like it’s a duty we all kind of have now to keep the language alive, considering the families in the west of Ireland never started speaking English, they continued to speak Irish against all odds.”
“People think it’s some kind of gimmick,” adds Provai. “It’s not, this is the daily language we use, it’s how we communicate with each other.” When they first decided to make music – “a good way to get free tickets to Glastonbury and Electric Picnic and [other festivals]” – not rapping in Irish was never a consideration, “because that’s the way we live our lives”.
‘You don’t have to understand everything – just the vibe’
The Kneecap bandmates knew from the start it was “not a good business model, doing music in a language that nobody really speaks”, as Chara puts it. “You’re kind of shooting yourself in the foot there.” But business was never the point. “We just did it for us and for the craic at the start, and then there was a demand for it.”
They are signed to the independent Heavenly Recordings, “a proper label”, he says. You might imagine some industry bosses would have had thoughts on the mass appeal of their language choice. Heavenly never interfered. “We didn’t need to have the conversation… I’m sure major labels would have us doing songs in English, if they could.”
Plus, he adds, having two dictionaries to choose from when it comes to writing lyrics can make songwriting easier. “If we run out of words to rhyme it kind of opens up this whole other pathway, basically, in the brain. Also, you think differently. If you’re speaking in Irish, you’re in a different mindset than when you’re speaking English, in my opinion.”
Director Rich Peppiatt, actor Michael Fassbender and the Kneecap bandmates pictured at the UK premiere, opening the Sundance London Film Festival. Pic: PA
Chara cites K-pop stars BTS as perhaps the biggest example of how music has smashed through language barriers in recent years. “You don’t have to understand everything, you just understand the vibe of it… a lot of people understand our feel, the energy, at our gigs, rather than understanding the lyrics, and that’s perfectly fine with me.”
Now, he says, rapping in the Irish language has opened more doors than it’s closed. “It’s niche and I think people are into niche things now. I listen to Arabic hip-hop and don’t understand a word of it. It just sounds good.”
Kneecap, the film, is out now. Next stop, more touring – and then, potentially, the Oscars.
Coach tickets to Glastonbury 2025 were sold out in half an hour, organisers have said, as they roll out a new booking system for festivalgoers.
They were the first group of tickets to be sold for the world-famous festival in Somerset, which is set to take place between 25 and 29 June.
This year, fans navigated a new system to buy the tickets as they were “randomly assigned a place in a queue” instead of having to refresh the holding page once they went live.
The organisers said in a post on X: “The Glastonbury 2025 tickets + coach travel which were on sale this evening have now all been sold.
“Our thanks to everyone who bought one.”
They added that National Express services would be available to bring festivalgoers from across the country to Glastonbury.
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Standard tickets will go on sale on Sunday at 9am. Last year they were sold out within an hour.
See Tickets said in a post on X that “confirmation emails are going out now to everyone who got @Glastonbury coach tickets this evening”.
Tickets for the annual event at Worthy Farm in Somerset cost £373.50 plus a £5 booking fee, and are sold exclusively through the See Tickets website, with no third-party sellers involved.
The new ticket system has changed the way people join the booking system.
Organisers previously warned hopefuls to log in “at least a few minutes” before the sale opened today and to avoid refreshing the page.
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Festivalgoers were also told not to attempt to game the system by using multiple devices.
The sale follows chaos earlier this year when tickets for the Oasis reunion went on sale, seeing a multitude of disappointed fans as well as those who felt cheated after being charged hundreds of pounds more for their tickets than was originally advertised.
Anyone wishing to buy tickets for Glastonbury must have registered by 11 November, a rule in place to avoid touting.
Entertainment
Christmas adverts – the 10 most-anticipated ads as the festive battle for customers commences
With just under six weeks to go to Christmas Day, the countdown has officially begun, with all the big brands rolling out their seasonal adverts.
Becoming something of an institution over recent years, many see the festive ads as the starting pistol for their Christmas preparation/panic, despite us only being halfway through November.
And with an estimated £10.5bn spent on this year’s Xmas ads, it’s not just about inducing a fuzzy warm feeling in viewers, but also about encouraging them to put their hand in their pocket.
As we brace ourselves for festive fun, we take a swift look at this year’s bevvy of commercial offerings, as the annual battle of the Christmas adverts begins.
John Lewis
A girl called Sally falls into a clothes rack reminiscent of CS Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, but instead of finding Narnia, she ends up in John Lewis.
Pic: PA
Through family flashbacks we lean how much she loves her older sister, whose gift she has carelessly left it to the last minute to buy. Spoiler alert – as one would expect in an advert for a retailer, she finds a pressie.
With the retailer famous for its use of cover versions in their Christmas ads, this one is the origin story for a new cover, with a concurrent competition on TikTok to find an aspiring artist to rerecord a version, which will be featured on the Christmas Day airing and released by record label BMG too.
Waitrose
Marketed as a whodunnit – this big-budget production has a host of celebrity cameos, an intricate storyline and not one but two parts.
Pic: Waitrose
Comedian Joe Wilkinson, Fleabag star Sian Clifford and Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen all have a role in the ensemble, revolving around hunting down the thief of a “chilled desert”.
Being Christmas, when tensions are traditionally high, everyone has reason to have scoffed it. The culprit won’t be revealed until the second part of the ad is released, but in the meantime, activity at Kings Cross Station, in stores and on social media is set to keep the investigation very much alive.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s goes big for its advert, calling on a beloved Roald Dahl character – the BFG, or Big Friendly Giant – to travel the country with a supermarket worker called Sophie (who pleasingly is a real store employee) in the search for the perfect festive treats.
Pic: Sainsbury’s
A CGI BFG procures salmon, sprouts and cheese before a bit of magic helps him whip it all up into a feast, which he then gifts to an unsuspecting family through the window.
The first ones to release their ad earlier this month, the dulcet tones of national treasure Stephen Fry wrap the action, with a call to arms to stock up in readiness for Christmas.
M&S
Another national treasure – Dawn French – is back for this one, playing both herself and a festive fairy, who gives both French and her home a make-over ready for a Christmas soiree.
Pic: PA
French, whose multi-Christmas-dinner eating antics on The Vicar Of Dibley put her into the Xmas annals, is transformed into “the quintessential hostess” with a bit of help from her little friend.
Banking on the idea that you can never have enough of a good thing, there are six instalments of the advert running between now and the New Year. Who doesn’t like a second – or sixth – helping.
Lidl
This one pulls on the heartstrings, with a little girl inspired to give a gift to a boy who appears not to have any, after an old lady gives her some magic bells.
Pic: Lidl
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Tom Hooper (he directed The King’s Speech), a CGI racoon and giant gingerbread man add a little action to events around the dinner table.
But the take home message is to think about giving as well as receiving, with the return of the retailer’s toy banks scheme set up at supermarkets with the aim of donating over 100,000 toys, to ensure no child experiences a giftless Christmas.
Aldi
Kevin the Carrot is back for a ninth year running, this time trying to save the Christmas spirit from a bunch of hard-boiled humbug villains.
Pic: Aldi
With the ad narrated by actor Jim Broadbent, our plucky hero braves an oven, a Mission Impossible-inspired ventilation system and Bond-esque snow jet-ski dash across the mountains, all to save Christmas.
Helped by his wife Katie, he of course pulls it off. A fan favourite, soft toys of the root vegetable are sold in stores, and this year cuddly humbugs are on sale too.
Morrisons
It’s a song and dance number from Morrisons, courtesy of their singing oven gloves performing Bugsy Malone’s You Give A Little Love.
Pic: Morrisons
A choir of 26 Morrisons employees gave voice to the gloves, recording their rendition of the song at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London.
Like Lidl, the retailer pulled out the directing big guns, hiring The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey to oversee proceedings.
Asda
Bagging the prize for the most gnome puns in one advert, Asda sees a flash mob of gnomes preparing the store for Christmas.
Pic: Asda
The resulting advert isn’t as irritating as it sounds on paper, thanks to nice performances by the two human characters in the ad – Maggie and Bill.
And as we know, Christmas is all about the merchandise, so the supermarkets are of course selling special Xmas versions of their garden gnomes to accompany their already 50-strong gnome range. Who knew?
Tesco
Tesco reminds us of those members of the family who are no longer here to join us on the big day, with a man carrying on his late grandmother’s festive tradition of baking gingerbread.
Pic: Tesco
He becomes obsessed with the spicy treat, as it infiltrates every part of his day from his haircut to a trip to see the Christmas lights.
He eventually gets together with his grandad to bake a gingerbread house, revealing it to the family at lunch, thus keeping the tradition alive.
Greggs
And in the most unlikely festive cameo of the year, Greggs has enlisted Nigella Lawson to star in its first Christmas ad.
Pic: PA
Rapturously endorsing their festive bakes, Lawson has her hands full of pasties, and her table full of take-away coffees, as she promotes the bakery’s festive-themed fare.
Whether or not you believe the 64-year-old TV chef really tucks into their sausage rolls in real life – the attention-grabbing collaboration looks like a wise move for the chain, whose sales have jumped in recent weeks as it continues its UK expansion.
Entertainment
Paul Mescal says being the star of Gladiator II as it premieres in London is ‘absolutely, wildly overwhelming’
Gladiator II star Paul Mescal has said bringing Sir Ridley Scott’s legacy sequel to the big screen has been a “wildly… overwhelming” experience.
The star was speaking to Sky News on the red carpet at the film’s royal premiere which was attended by His Majesty the King, who had earlier hosted members of the film and TV industry at a Buckingham Palace reception.
When asked about making the move from indie films, like All Of Us Strangers and Aftersun, into one of the most eagerly anticipated films this year, Mescal said: “I’m excited to play with what the audience is expecting of me.”
“The royal audience is one thing… I think we’ve seen how an audience responded to the film, royal or not, and I think we’re excited for people to see it.”
A whole 24 years after Sir Ridley Scott’s Roman blockbuster starring Russell Crowe, Mescal plays Lucius who, much like the original, finds himself trying to win back his freedom after powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home.
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The King greets stars at film and TV event
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With an actual-scale model of the Colosseum built for the production, the film comes with high costs and a lot of hype.
“I’m struggling with words at the moment,” Mescal admitted, taking in the occasion, having come from the champagne reception at Buckingham Palace.
“This has been an absolutely, wildly – I keep using the word overwhelming – but I think if this isn’t slightly overwhelming then I don’t know what the hell is. I’m having a great time.”
Sir Ridley explained his reason for casting Mescal was that he saw aspects of “a young Albert Finney” in him.
While the pressure is on for the sequel to do well at the box office, the director said he’s learnt how to deal with the weight of expectations over the years.
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“Any film of [this] scale, it doesn’t matter how we play it down, it’s colossally stressful. You better embrace stress or don’t do the job.”
Before heading to the premiere, the King welcomed directors, actors, TV presenters, stunt performers and costume designers at the palace to mark the centenary of the Film and TV Charity, of which Charles has become patron.
Sir Ridley, actor Joseph Fiennes, actress India Amarteifio from the hit Netflix show Queen Charlotte, and TV presenter Claudia Winkleman were among the celebrities who attended the event.
Gladiator II is in cinemas on 15 November.
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