Adrian Dunbar says people "jumped to conclusions" about KNEECAP

Enniskillen-born actor Adrian Dunbar has said people "jumped to conclusions" about KNEECAP, after the band's Glastonbury set was not broadcast live on the BBC due to editorial concerns around impartiality.

In an interview yesterday with the Times Radio show Off Air with Jane & Fi, Dunbar was asked if the BBC was wrong to not livestream KNEECAP's Glastonbury performance in June.

"I think that’s a question for the BBC, not for me," Dunbar said.

"But I do think that everybody got too heated about them. I think everybody jumped to conclusions about them. I think they’re a band of good musicians. They make great music. They’re promoting the Irish language. Very clear about who they support and who they don’t support."

The Line Of Duty star recently attended a KNEECAP gig with his daughter, as reported in an interview with The Times where he called the rap trio "an amazing act" and said "they’ve caught the zeitgeist. But they’re good people and conscientious people."

At Glastonbury, KNEECAP led a 'fuck Keir Starmer' chant in response to the UK Prime Minister's vocal opposition to their presence at the festival. Their set was not broadcast live on the BBC, reportedly due to editorial concerns around impartiality.

The Avon and Somerset Police launched a criminal investigation into video and audio from the set, which the band said had no legal basis and was a targeted attack for their activism. Last month, it was announced that no further action was to be taken in the investigation.

KNEECAP have faced a series of gig cancellations and criticism for their outspoken activism for Palestine.

They were dropped from the lineup of the TRNSMT festival in Glasgow, the host city of the Rock-en-Seine festival withdrew its funding for the event due to its booking of the band and most recently, Hungarian authorities banned them from entering the country ahead of their planned performance at the Sziget Festival.

The band called the ban "a political distraction" and said gig cancellations are part of "campaigns of attempted censorship" against artists who speak out in support of Palestine.