Kneecap – Fine Art | Album Review

Controversial hip hop outfit Kneecap are unlikely to win over any of their detractors with their ravenous, drug-fuelled debut album, nor are they likely to give a shite either. ‘Fine Art’ finds MCs Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí distilling their experience growing up in post-Good Friday Belfast into a heavy session in fictional Belfast pub The Rutz. No doubt, it’s an uncomfortable mirror for many, but perhaps that’s why it’s so effective.

Traditional Irish elements are intertwined with full on rave and grime beats as the night unfurls with a blizzard of cocaine and ketamine, pints, and comical moments courtesy of local characters. Having recently won a slew of awards for their debut film starring Michael Fassbender, it will come as no surprise that unlike most bands, the Belfast trio have nailed the concept of the concept album with the running order working perfectly.

There’s star turns from Fontaines D.C. duo Grian Chatten and Tom Coll, and ex-Arctic Monkey’s bassist Andy Nicholson on Better Way To Live. Lankum’s Radie Peat floats like a modern-day Elizabeth Fraser on opener 3CAG while the presence of hotshot rapper and Gorillaz collaborator Jelani Blackman on Harrow Road highlights that Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara can more than hold their own beside internationally recognised MCs.

Kneecap are often accused of sectarian rhetoric and the album’s title track is likely to draw more ire from those who are already offended. However, there are prominent messages of hope and unity on Parful, which highlights how dance music is able to bring people together. The punches are all uppercuts and if anything, the biggest put-down is reserved for uninformed English record executives descending on Belfast looking to cash in on the group’s success.

Rarely has so much ‘mad for it’ braggadocio been detected outside the DNA helix of the Gallagher brothers, but Kneecap have backed it up for now with a captivating debut album that will antagonise as many people as it pleases. Hang it in the Louvre.