For a band just putting out their debut album, West Belfast’s Kneecap have been courting media attention for some while and have already been seen in the LA Times, The Guardian and even Variety. But then, they have previously released a swathe of irreverent but blistering singles (none of which appear on Fine Art) and have just previewed their cinematic biopic, which features Michael Fassbender, at the Sundance Film Festival.
The charismatic and hilarious Mo Chara, Mόglai Bap and DJ Prόvai have clearly been making a lot of friends, despite their claims that “the beauty of Kneecap is that we not only piss off people from the Unionist background. We also piss off people from the Irish community… We don’t discriminate”. However, they have certainly played up their wide boy image since getting together in 2017. That said, early tracks like “H.O.O.D.”, “Get Your Brits Out” and “Gael-Gigolos”, along with their live performances are more than enough to dispel any thoughts of Kneecap being the focus of undeserved record company hype.
Fine Art really does seal the deal – with tales of Guinness and cocaine-fuelled nights out powered by old school rave sounds, sleazy funk and low-end dubstep, all wrapped in a mashup of Irish and English. Highlights include the lively “Ibh Fiacha Linne” with its serious punk-rave attitude and banging 808 State sample, while the rocking “Fine Art” features some whiplash socially conscious rapping over a head spinning groove and “Parful” zips along on some monster dubstep vibes. In fact, there isn’t a duff track here and the likes of the atmospheric electro-folk of “3CAG” and Jelani Blackman’s swaggering rap on “Harrow Road” only bring plenty of added colour.
Kneecap come on like a Check Your Head-era Beastie Boys might have sounded if they’d been born in Belfast instead of New York – with a sharp, uninhibited and exuberant style and, while it’s way too early to call, Fine Art may be a very strong contender for Album of the Year.
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