The Kneecap Boys are Back in Town 

calista burrowes reviews fenian

What do you do when it seems like the whole world is against you? Do you retreat into obscurity? Do you just send it and live up to the villainy people assign to you? Kneecap does not have a fully grounded answer just yet, but FENIAN is their interim response to a year of global aggression from powerful fronts. 

Much of the lyrical material on the album covers these events, with the song ‘Liar’s Tale’ stating with no inhibition “Fuck Keir Starmer / Netanyahu’s bitch / and genocide armer.” The trio does not shy away from directly calling out the people who have made their lives hell over the past twelve months, infusing anger in groove-filled tracks. I have always preferred the more dance-like tracks Kneecap have produced, as they seem to take more creative and humour risks on these songs, blending the anger of their harder sounds with their stereotypically dark Irish sense of humour. 

Despite that, from the first listen of ‘Occupied 6’, I knew this would be my favourite song on the album. Ireland currently occupies the ‘It-country’ role on the internet, with Georgetown University observing a “green wave” of media popularity. And because of this, Ireland has somewhat been fetishised (could splitting the ‘G’ be a new kink?). ‘Occupied 6,’ referencing the famous song by The Undertones, reminds us that Ireland is not all “teenage kicks”:  there are still underlying traumas, especially in the North of Ireland, that have manifested in trans-generational mental health crises, poverty, and violence. 

‘Occupied 6’ … reminds us that Ireland is not all “teenage kicks”:  there are still underlying traumas, especially in the North of Ireland, that have manifested in trans-generational mental health crises, poverty, and violence. 

Another highlight was the song ‘Palestine’ featuring Ramallah-based artist Fawzi. The dark and driving sound of the song underscores the textures of the voices, and Fawzi’s feature is refreshing. The track stands at about two minutes and thirty-odd seconds–a relatively short song–but packs a punch even in two languages I don’t understand. You really get a sense of urgency and alarm, and a connection to history, with this collaboration. I look forward to hearing more from Fawzi in the future and I hope that Kneecap also features more artists of this calibre and confidence. 

The album is not without its flaws. ‘Irish Goodbye’ is a beautifully heartbreaking song; however, the Kae Tempest feature falls flat. Personally, I find Tempest’s lyrics in general to be uninspired and speak to the surface level of very serious issues, which is why I find his inclusion to be redundant, especially on the closing track. Considering that on a song about the suicide of Móglaí Bap’s mother, the only lyrics of his I can remember (and not for good reason) are  “When life gave you lemons / You squeezed them in your open wounds,” it’s clear that it stifles the heartfeltness latent in this track. 

I find Tempest’s lyrics in general to be uninspired and speak to the surface level of very serious issues… [stifling] the heartfeltness latent in this track.

Something I am glad to see missing in this album are the ‘skits’ between songs. Not to sound like a high school teacher, but in the way that Kneecap used them, there was an awful lot of “tell” that precluded the “showing” that they otherwise excel at in their lyricism. The lack of skits which in this album allows the songs to speak for themselves and makes their humour more impactful and legitimately funny. 

Kneecap still has a lot more to offer: more sounds to explore and more ground to cover. The band have certainly carved a niche for themselves, but how can they avoid a boxing-in of their sound? FENIAN represents a maturing in their sound and a revelling in their successes and controversies, and I hope that they continue to blend the personal with the global. That is where they truly shine.