Irish band Picture This have weighed in on the backlash faced by Kneecap over the last few weeks.
The group have faced criticism in the recent weeks, following a performance at Coachella, where they displayed the message: “F*** Israel. Free Palestine.”
Earlier this week, the band released a statement after footage from a November 2023 gig appeared to show one member saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
KNEECAP messages from #Coachella2025 Gig opening 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/qt4VL06Duy
— Abier (@abierkhatib) April 19, 2025
Speaking exclusively to Goss.ie ahead of their episode of Virgin Media’s The Secret Headliner, Picture This weighed in on how they felt about the backlash received by the band.
When asked if they believe artists should have the right to speak about what they are passionate about, Jimmy Rainsford told Goss.ie: “Yes, I think that’s the whole point of being an artist. You know, it’s expressionism. You should be allowed to express whatever you feel.”
“And whatever opinion you have, people should be allowed to say whatever they want. And at the end of the day, that’s what makes art so great. It might not be appreciated in the moment, but it’s art, you know, and we’re just artists. We’re not running the country. But we’re allowed to say what we want to say. And I love that about art.”
Jimmy continued: “We can be expressionists in a way and we can translate the world and put it into an art form. And I’d say more power to people who want to do that. And they should be allowed, no matter what it is, it should be allowed.”
Ryan Hennessy said “what Kneecap is doing is amazing” and “they use their voice exactly how they should and given their background and where they come from and their upbringing.”
He said: “I think it makes so much sense and it’s inspiring and amazing to see them use their voice. But I think from artist to artist, some artists are more politically leaning and more politically forward.”
Following the criticism, the groups record label, Heavenly Recordings, said in open letter there had “been a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform” the group.
It read: “As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom. In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs that will be enjoyed by thousands of people.”
“Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story,” it says. “And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British Government is the real story.
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“Solidarity with all artists with the moral courage to speak out against Israeli war crimes, and the ongoing persecution and slaughter of the Palestinian people,” the letter continued.
Irish artists such as Fontaines DC, Massive Attack, Thin Lizzy, The Pogues, and more have signed the statement which stands against the “repression of artistic freedom.”
