Bob Geldof on KNEECAP: "People are still getting upset by a bunch of herberts larging it and carrying on. That’s exactly what rock ‘n’ roll is there to do"

As The Boomtown Rats mark their 50th anniversary, Bob Geldof has shared his thoughts on KNEECAP and Fontaines D.C. – as part of an extensive cover story interview in the current issue of Hot Press.

Reflecting on the outrage KNEECAP have sparked in certain quarters, Geldof was asked whether he considers Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí to be his spiritual heirs.

"I don’t agree with all of their politics – the divergence for me is nationalism – but that’s not to say they shouldn’t be able to express themselves however they want," he reflects. "Everything else about them – the music, the way they’ve normalised the use of Irish, the attitude – I love.

“The only available language our generation had to articulate the deep, deep, deep societal, economic and moral corruption in Ireland was rock ‘n’ roll," he adds. "I thought influencers and interrupters on social media had usurped that role but thankfully not."

Geldof goes on to state that, what "thrills" him about KNEECAP, "is that people are still getting upset by a bunch of herberts larging it and carrying on."

"That’s exactly what rock ‘n’ roll is there to do: Elvis, Little Richard, the Sex Pistols… KNEECAP. Music is meant to shake things up.”

Kneecap at Electric Picnic on Main Stage Powered by Flogas on August 30th, 2025. Copyright Liam Murphy- hotpress.com

He goes on to discuss Fontaines D.C., and their position within the wider history of the Irish rock 'n' roll.

"In the linear scheme of things, you have Van’s fusing of blues and soul with a Celtic lyricism using a Yeats-ian language," Geldof notes. "That really did effect rock ‘n’ roll. ‘Joey’s On The Street Again’ from the first Rats album was me literally copying and trying to understand what Van was doing.

“Then,” Bob continues, “Philo injected it with his own sense of romanticism. The Rats, U2, Shane and Sinéad had their goes. To me, Fontaines D.C. are a continuation of that.”

Elsewhere in his Hot Press interview, Geldof reflects on The Boomtown Rats’ rock ‘n’ roll awakening, his friendship with Sinéad O’Connor, and why he considered running for the Presidency – as well as his thoughts on Trump, Putin and Charlie Kirk.

Read the full interview in the current issue of Hot Press – out now