Fenian <\/p>\n
\ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 \ue9d9 <\/p>\n
Artist: Kneecap<\/p>\n
Label: Heavenly<\/p>\n
Kneecap<\/a> are often compared to the Sex Pistols<\/a> for their ability to provoke a moral panic and have British MPs sputtering with rage in Westminster. But if the punk iconoclasts\u2019 rapid rise serves as an inspiration, their rapid demise is a warning that nothing gets older faster than a rock band that has politicians foaming at the chops. <\/p>\n The daunting challenge the Belfast<\/a>–Derry<\/a> Irish language rap trio therefore face with their second album, Fenian, is to prove their talents go beyond annoying the worst people on social media. But they prove they are more than flash-in-the-pan outrage merchants with this brilliantly catchy and playful record, which you can enjoy regardless of your feelings about their politics, and which captures the glee and giddiness that have long been at the heart of their live shows.<\/p>\n Kneecap wrote and recorded the songs against the backdrop of the prosecution brought by the British state after one of the group waved a flag belonging to the proscribed terrorist organisation Hizbullah on stage. Where less imaginative musicians might have played the victim or taken the easy route of \u201cwoe is me\u201d lyrics, Kneecap are in an upbeat frame of mind throughout this extraordinary LP, where they throw up sparks with Fontaines DC<\/a> producer Dan Carey and collaborate with artists such as London poet Kae Tempest<\/a> and Ramallah rapper Fawzi.<\/p>\n