Infamously banned by RTÉ and currently causing something of a kerfuffle in the tabloids up North, west Belfast’s Kneecap are bringing some much needed excitement (and controversy) to the increasingly corporate NI music scene. Featuring MCs Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara alongside DJ Provaí, the boys have been a breath of fresh (or should that be Buckfast-scented?) air, ever since the release of their debut single ‘C.E.A.R.T.A.’ during Christmas ‘17. Rapping mostly in Irish, they tell us they’re unconcerned about potentially alienating some listeners who don’t speak the language.

“Not knowing what we’re saying is half the beauty of it,” offers Móglaí Bap. “But I don’t think it’s too hard to guess what we’re rapping about. We rap in Irish because we live in Ireland and speak Irish together. Also, cops and Gardaí hate it when you speak Irish to them, so we wanted to incorporate that into our music, in the hope that we will annoy some police somewhere.”

Earlier this year, some of the North’s politicians and press condemned Kneecap after a show in Belfast’s Empire, which saw them lead chants of “Get the Brits out now.”

Bap describes pissing off the DUP as his crowning achievement so far.

“We couldn’t believe that we made it onto the BBC news,” he reflects. “We were so excited about this, we went on a six-day bender. It really is the pinnacle of our career so far. To be condemned by the DUP is a great honour for us.”

Informed by old school hip-hop, a dash of satire and a heavy dollop of gallows humour, Kneecap also credit rebel songs as an important ingredient of their sound.

“Rebel songs are like lullabies in west Belfast,” says Bap. “They’re powerful craic and they’re great to be singing along with at 2am full of Guinness. Each song has its own story, so we try to incorporate that into our music.”

Fresh from earning plenty of new converts at their incendiary Body & Soul show, Bap tells us his band loves getting the chance to perform at festivals.

“Body & Soul was mad craic,” he enthuses. “We were the first act of the day on the first day and we still filled the tent to the back teeth. The crowd were mad for it. The generator then broke on us three-quarters of the way through the set… We’re not sure who caused it yet, but we’ve got our eyes on Dan Healy from RTÉ.

“We love festivals. I’d say the best part is running through the forest off your head and shifting the trees. We never get the chance to do that in west Belfast.”

In a matter of days, pilgrims at Longitude will get to witness Kneecap first-hand. The MC assures us that they will put on a show that will be talked about for years.

“We can’t wait, we’re going to turn the place upside down. We’re going to do the maddest gig that Longitude has ever seen. Tops off, flags out. We’re going to stick around after too. We’ll head to Versatile’s set and then we’re going to bring A$AP Rocky down to Grogan’s for a pint and a toastie.”