Kneecap will still headline 2000trees as planned.
The Irish rap group have come under fire in recent weeks after a string of controversies, but the annual festival in Cheltenham, UK have confirmed they will remain co-headliners with PVRIS on the second day of the July 9-12 event.
In a post on Instagram, they wrote: “After loads of speculation and numerous requests from the press of late, we are happy to confirm that YES! Kneecap are still headlining the Thursday at 2000trees this July.
“If their recent shows in London are anything to go by, this promises to be one of the most memorable headline sets we’ve ever had at 2000trees.
“Do not miss it – Glasto is obviously sold out we’re not far behind – so if you want to see the most talked about band in ages, you need to bag a 2000trees ticket before they all sell out!”
Other headliners set across the four-day event include Hot Milk, Taking Back Sunday, Coheed and Cambria, and Alexisonfire.
Kneecap – made up of Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Provai – are no strangers to 2000trees, but organisers have promised “something else entirely” for their headline set.
They continued: “You may have even seen Kneecap at 2000trees before, this will be their 3rd visit after all.
“But headlining the main stage this summer is going to be something else entirely!
“We will ALL be there in the pit with you for one of the most exciting, fun and historic sets you’ll see this summer.”
Earlier on Wednesday (28.05.25), it was confirmed that Kneecap’s TRNSMT performance the same week as 2000trees has been cancelled.
A festival spokesperson told NME: “Due to concerns expressed by the Police about safety at the event, Kneecap will no longer perform at TRNSMT on Friday July 11. We thank fans for their understanding.”
Last week, the trio headline London’s Wide Awake Festival – which followed a warm-up show at the 100 Club – and both events happened without any safety issues.
Last week, Mo Chara – real name Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh – was charged with a terror offense in the UK, as London’s Metropolitan Police accused him of “displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah” at O2 Forum gig in London in November 2024.
Following the investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charge, with both Hamas and Hezbollah banned in the UK, while it is a crime to express support for either of them.
The group insisted they have never support either organisation.
They also claimed another video – in which they allegedly told a London crowd “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP” – was taken “out of context”.