Review: KNEECAP @ SWX

By Amélie Peters, Music Sub-Editor.

Clad in head to toe North Face, rap trio KNEECAP are the epitome of the phrase 'what you see is what you get'. Controversial and wild, they reflect on police brutality, politics in a meshing of the Irish and English language.

Opened by the flamboyantly girlish Gemma dunleavy, eye-catching in a head to toe frilly pink coughphany of clothing, under the stark lights she's hard to miss. Green and pink hair, wide eyes and great make-up, I think Dunleavy is my childhood brat doll given sentience.

Lyrically interesting, Dunleavy short phrases are constantly interrupted by DJ-esque drum and base beats. Synth-addiction to the extreme, the heavy bass drowns out the power the lyrics could have.

'Shouting up the flats from the rooftops', lyrics born from rage against over gentrification pricing out the locals, 'up de flats' is a love letter to Dublin. One does wonder if the synth-pop genre as a medium for her lyrics, takes weight from the politically charged nuances.

Undeniably talented vocally, Dunleavy leaves a vocal trail in the air. Beautiful long notes stretching to the back of SWX. The slower songs on her setlist lend the most to the power her lungs possess.

Impossible to ignore is 'Stop The Lights', impassioned and heart wrenching. Telling the story of Terrance Wheelock. A 20-year old Dublin native, wrongfully arrested in relation to car theft, only a few hours later found unconscious with ligature marks around his neck. A jury ruled suicide, the community of Summer Hill Dublin never accepted this.

Dunleavy continues to call for justice for the family of Wheelock, citing the rage the community still feels. Echoed in her lyrics is a collective sorrow for the injustice and brutality Ireland has faced, the generational trauma impossible to escape.

Belfast golden child of hip-hop KNEECAP returned to Bristol to tour the release of their second album Fine Art. A twelve-track triumph scaling the heights of the political struggles of Belfast all the way to the lows of k-holes and white lines.

It's clear the boys have a bredth of understanding of the human experience, coming through powerfully in their latest music. Tilting between what is intended to replicate drug-induced terror and a clash of jazz, the bleeding of genre is fresh and new.

Boisterous and unrestrained the groups spirit is infectious, the combination of excessive profanity and the political whilst not for everyone, has a humorous but poignant effect.

A qualm I would have with the gig, would be the excessive use of the female anatomy as visual aids presented on the back of their screen. Whilst politically the band speaks out against oppression of the Irish people, the devastation in Palestine, perhaps the band need a refresher on how derogatory the constant sexualization of the female body can be.

Rising from behind the desk in an almost magician esc style, is the ever masked DJ Provai. Clad in an Irish flag balaclava, the statement the band makes is high-octane and passionate.

Particularly powerful is 'Better Way To Live', a collaborative effort from Irish band Fontaines DC, the track is a serenade to the flicker of joy in amongst the mundane drudgery life sometimes falls into. Underneath the heavy metronome of drummer Tom Coll, theirs a tremendous light to the lyrics, depicting a sensitivity from the trio that is often obscured by their genre.

Whilst powerful lyrically, the bands stage presence is a little dainty in contrast to the thunderous techno. Jogging round the stage, I'm reminded of a peloton instructor.

The trio have accrued a cultish following, pulling in a frenetic and feverish energy full of a building joy stemming from the inherent ingrained Irish culture. Speaking their lyrics half in English half in Irish, there is a feeling almost of healing for the one hundred and twenty minutes the three are on stage.