"Take this!" I say, leaning over the barrier at the 3Olympia theatre. I'm holding my Buckfast hoodie, a tacky polyester garment that I ordered in the midst of the pandemic which features the branding of the beloved tonic wine (why I thought I would need it then who knows).  Moglaí Bap locks eye with me as I hand over the precious garment, 'it's a gift!' I shout.

I don't quite know why I did that. I loved that poorly made Buckfast hoodie- I ordered it off the dodgy  e-commerce company Wish  and it arrived with such a pixelated image that it might as well have been made using Minecraft. But I guess, that is the compelling, and electrifying nature of Kneecap. They won't quite have you flinging your knickers at them but they will have you give them the shirt off your back.

Belfast hip hop duo Mo Chara and Moglaí Bap are exhilarating on stage, both born hype men.  From the moment they step on stage and open with 'It's Been Ages' the Dublin crowd is alight.

Kneecap at 3Olympia Theatre. Tuesday 12th of December 2023. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

However this crowd was also suitably warmed up by not one but two support acts, with Dublin based rapper Scruffy Munnelly opening the night with his hip hop swagger donning a tracksuit and a paddy cap.

Next up were SPRINTS who's genre was divergent but spirit was very much sympathetic to Kneecap's rogue punk sensibility.

"Are you guys planning on getting sweaty and moshing to Kneecap? We'd appreciate those muscles now if you want to mosh!" which was naturally followed by aggressive head banging and thrusting.

With their signature "angry music you can dance to" SPRINTS primed the crowd with the raucous energy to be expected of such a gig.

And then of course, sashaying onstage with their usual aplomb came the two west Belfast icons; Mo Chara agus Moglaí Bap, while DJ Provaí was tucked behind a DJ deck with an enormous 'Saoirse Don Phailistín' bedsheet draped across it, to compliment the Palestinian flag that was also on stage.

Also decorating the stage was a Christmas tree decorated with bags of white powder and tinsel, lending a whole new meaning to the phrase 'white Christmas'.

Kneecap at 3Olympia Theatre. Tuesday 12th of December 2023. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

AMACH ANOCHT was the first high power banger that the lads played, resulting in ungodly screaming from the crowd, the exact kind of rí rá agus ruaile buaile that Kneecap is all about.

Playing some new material which was well received, (this pair could sell sand to the Arabs, it almost does not matter what they play, the crowd adored them) the band followed this up with their beloved beat-heavy track 'Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite' which was quite simply exhilarating, leading to an intense call and response from the crowd.

Of course, paying homage to their first release, a sleeper hit which they made for the craic, thinking no one would listen to it, 'C.E.A.R.T.A' was the closing song of their set and you couldn't ask for a better closer.

Angry, compelling, high energy and defiant, 'C.E.A.R.T.A' is the closest the band have to a sing along indie hit, and everyone did, complete with a DJ Provaí crowd surfing in the pit.

While for their encore the threesome closed with H.O.O.D., the true finishing touch to the cathartic night came in the form of The Pogues' 'Fairytale of New York' which played over the speakers.

The audience sang the beloved Christmas song and the lads sat on stage, handing out beers and relishing it what they knew had been a magnificent gig. Sometimes, it's a good thing to rest on your laurels. After all, it's Christmas.