Belfast’s most ungovernable export are back — louder, darker, sharper, and absolutely not here to play nice.
KNEECAP have announced their new album ‘FENIAN,’ landing April 24 via Heavenly Recordings, and if anyone thought the trio might tone it down after the chaos of the last year… think again. This is the sound of a band that tried being silenced, got angrier instead, and turned that pressure into fuel.
Following their critically adored 2024 album ‘Fine Art’ — and a self-titled biopic that scooped up BAFTA and Sundance awards — Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí are leaning fully into confrontation. ‘FENIAN’ was made with producer Dan Carey, and the result is, in their own words, “more sinister… because these are sinister times.” It’s defiant, triumphant, and wired with a sense of purpose that feels both ancient and brutally current.
The title itself is a statement. Inspired by the Fenian warriors of Irish folklore — and later weaponised as a slur against Irish people — KNEECAP reclaim the word as a badge of honour. For them, Fenian now belongs to anyone speaking truth to power.
After centuries of colonisation, the Irish language survived. KNEECAP see themselves in that lineage. They haven’t gone away either.
The Paddies are back.
New single: Liars Tale
Alongside the album announcement comes Liars Tale, a riotous first single that wastes absolutely no time swinging. Built on an 80s rock stomp and detonated with rave-punk chaos, the track directly takes aim at politicians attempting to police artists — with Keir Starmer very much in the firing line. If you want a sonic middle finger to establishment hypocrisy, this is it.
Recorded in Dan Carey’s South London studio, Liars Tale is raw, confrontational, and impossible to ignore. The accompanying video, directed by Thomas James, is pure sensory overload — punk, absurd, abrasive and feral. A “carnival of distraction,” stuffed with Irish mythology, satire, anger and ugly humour, it mirrors the chaos of the world it’s responding to. A nightmarish, grin-through-the-teeth “fuck you” to power.
More darkness. More energy. More craic.
‘FENIAN’ is a record that comes out swinging and doesn’t let up. From the opening rallying cry Éire go Deo, the album barrels forward with relentless momentum, blending fearless political commentary with hooks designed for sweat-soaked rooms and late-night mayhem.
Tracks like Smugglers & Scholars and Carnival revel in menace and satire, while Palestine (feat. Fawzi) widens the lens entirely — a powerful expression of transnational solidarity that places KNEECAP firmly within a global conversation about resistance, justice and survival.
Musically, the album moves fluidly between punk-rave, acid house and hip-hop. Highlights include the title track FENIAN, the frenetic Big Bad Mo, and the already-anthemic Liars Tale. Elsewhere, the trio turn inward, unpacking masculinity, addiction, fame and grief with surprising tenderness, culminating in the closing track Irish Goodbye featuring Kae Tempest.
It’s confrontational, but it’s crafted. Furious, but smart. Provocative without being hollow. ‘FENIAN’ feels like a band fully locked into their power.
An unstoppable live force
The last year alone saw KNEECAP deliver one of the most talked-about Glastonbury sets in recent memory, headline Wide Awake, 2000 Trees and Green Man, and step up to arena-level shows at Dublin’s 3Arena, Wembley Arena and Glasgow’s OVO Hydro. Add in a Japanese tour, viral singles with Mozey, Paul Hartnoll (Orbital) and Sub Focus, and a media firestorm sparked by their vocal support for peace and Palestinian freedom — and it’s clear this band thrives in the eye of it all.
2026 will see KNEECAP headline their biggest shows yet, including Crystal Palace Park in London, alongside major festival slots across Europe.
‘FENIAN’ confirms what we already knew: KNEECAP aren’t just provocateurs. They’re artists operating at full force.
‘FENIAN’ — out April 24 via Heavenly Recordings
Available on CD, cassette, digital, black vinyl, tricolour splatter vinyl, and exclusive editions via WhatsApp, Bandcamp and Rough Trade.
Tracklist
- Éire go Deo
- Smugglers & Scholars
- Carnival
- Palestine (ft. Fawzi)
- Liars Tale
- FENIAN
- Big Bad Mo
- Headcase
- An Ra
- Cold At The Top
- Occupied 6
- Gael Phonics
- Cocaine Hill (ft. Radie Peat)
- Irish Goodbye (ft. Kae Tempest)
More darkness. More confrontation. More solidarity. More absolute bangers.
KNEECAP have come out fighting — and they’re not slowing down.
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