Controversial Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap spurred on crowds at Coachella with a vile chant aimed at Margaret Thatcher.
The Belfast-based group, comprising of Mo Chara, DJ Provai and Moglai Bap, hit the Sonora stage of the famous festival yesterday at 6.10pm PST.
But halfway through their set, in their latest anti-British stunt, the group led crowds to recite a rendition of an anti-Margaret Thatcher song to the tune of the Sunshine Band’s 1983 hit ‘Give It Up’.
With the group members mocking the former Prime Minister’s 2013 death by chanting ‘Maggie’s in a Box,’ they were joined by thousands of festival-goers belting out the phrase.
During the raucous chanting, the official Coachella livestream of the set had to be temporarily censored.
Kneecap, who have been accused of glorifying the IRA, are longstanding avid critics of the Conservative Prime Minister who was in government from 1979 to 1990.
In an interview with PoliticsJoe last year, the trio were shown a social media post reading: ‘Mrs Thatcher will be remembered long after Kneecap are forgotten.’
Kneecap, comprising of (left to right) Mo Chara, DJ Provai and Moglai Bap, hit the stage of the famous festival yesterday at 6.10pm PST
The trio stopped their set to encourage a chant mocking the death of Margaret Thatcher
An official livestream of the performance had to be censored as thousands in the crowd belted out the chant
Moglai Bap, however, responded: ‘That’s true. She’ll be remembered as a c***,’ before Mo Chara chimed in: ‘She’ll be remembered as a brutal b*******’.
The group, who blend both the Irish and English language in their music and have been credited with inspiring young people in Ireland to speak their native tongue, are known for their strong-minded political commentary.
Referring to themselves as ‘Republican hoods’, they have spearheaded a number of anti-British stunts in the past including unveiling murals depicting violent attacks on police, mocking the Queen’s death and calling for ‘Brits out of Ireland’.
Earlier this year, the trio even paraded a decapitated statue head of King George V on stage at a concert in Melbourne, Australia.
The former King’s domain statue had previously been beheaded and covered in red paint in June 2024 during a streak of anti-colonial vandalism.
In a post on social media following the concert, Kneecap wrote: ‘Some madman dropped with a huge King George’s head so he could hear a few tunes for our last Melbourne show.
The group, who blend both the Irish and English language in their music and have been credited with inspiring young people in Ireland to speak their native tongue, are known for their strong-minded political commentary
The decapitated statue head of King George V made a cameo on stage for Irish rap band Kneecap’s performance
‘Allegedly his head was cut off last year in the city.
‘Anyways he was put on stage for a few tunes and then whisked away. Remember every colony can fall.’
The group have too been vocal in their support for Palestine amid the ongoing conflict over Gaza.
On their X page which has more than 100,000 followers, Kneecap have regularly posted: ‘F*** Israel.’
Despite their unapologetic opinions, the Belfast outfit have amassed a huge following both in the US and in Britain – somewhat thanks to their award-winning biopic ‘Kneecap’.
At the British Independent Film Awards last year, the anti-British Irish-language movie depicting the trio’s lives scooped the top honour as well six other prestigious trophies and a further 14 nominations.
£1.6million of public money had been used to fund the movie.
Kneecap, a film depicting the trio’s upbringing, won multiple honours at the British Independent Film Awards
Kneecap too won an appeal to gain a £14,250 grant from the government to support UK artists overseas after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch initially rejected their claim
Kneecap too won an appeal to gain a £14,250 grant from the government to support UK artists overseas after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch initially rejected their claim.
After the Labour government admitted the decision to refuse the grant was ‘unlawful’ in late-2024, Ms Badenoch branded the decision ‘unbelievable.’
A spokesman for her said: ”It is unbelievable Labour have chosen not to pursue this case – yet another cowardly decision after giving away the Chagos Islands.
‘Labour will always capitulate rather than defend UK interests.
‘This case is not about whether a band promotes violence or hates the UK, as Kneecap clearly do; this is about whether government ministers have the ability to stop taxpayers’ money subsidising people who neither need nor deserve it.’
Coachella will continue today in California with performances by headliner Travis Scott, Charli xcx and Green Day.
