Iggy Pop and Pet Shop Boys – Charli XCX and Kite.
Despite major attractions, much of the pre-talk before this year's Way Out West has been about three rappers from Belfast – and when Kneecap took over Way Out West, the area in front of the Linné stage was one big sea of people.
From the audience, "Free Palestine" was chanted at the same time as Palestinian flags waved among the sea of people. Several times, the three rappers from Belfast took the opportunity to criticize the war in Gaza. Among other things, a message was sent to the Swedish government.
"Over 80,000 people have been murdered by Israel in 21 months, which is made possible by the Swedish government," it said, among other things.
Until something changes, Kneecap will talk about this at every concert. This is bigger than all of us and the Swedish government is an accomplice, said Liam O'Hanna during the performance.
Broke with booking agency
The headlines surrounding the trio's political commitment have been many this spring. Including after Kneecap during a performance at the American Coachella projected the message "Fuck Israel, free Palestine" and called Israel's actions a genocide. Liam O'Hanna has, despite his denial, been charged with a terrorist offense in the UK after waving a Hezbollah flag during a concert.
Kneecap has since distanced itself from both Hezbollah and Hamas but was recently banned in Hungary.
Demanded cancellation
In Sweden, both the Jewish Central Council and local bourgeois politicians in Gothenburg have demanded that the band be canceled.
According to the festival's press officer Filip Hiltmann, Way Out West has been in contact with the band before the performance – but he also emphasizes that he is not worried about the performance.
We do not see that there would be a threat. But we have, of course, a plan, safety is always our top priority, says Hiltmann to Aftonbladet.
That the interest in the trio was great was noticed, not least among the many Irish jerseys that were seen on the festival area.
Kneecap receives a lot of criticism from the older generation in the UK but among the younger ones, I think many are excited about Kneecap. They give us hope in what feels like a hopeless world, said Iona Slater from England to TT before the performance.
