The Belfast trio return with a new album FENIAN and new single ‘Liars Tale’.
FENIAN will be released on Heavenly Recordings on Friday 24th April 2026 and was made with producer Dan Carey (Fontaines D.C, Kae Tempest, Nick Mulvey, Speedy Wunderground).
Lankum’s Radie Peat, Kae Tempest and Palestinian rapper Fawzi guest on the album.
‘Liars Tale’ has the jittery spirit of Basement Jaxx’s ‘Jump & Shout’ with a more hard-nosed edge, aimed at the UK establishment, taking aim at “Keir Starmer’s craven attempts to silence and suppress Kneecap’s movement. The Tories-in-Labour-clothing are the targets.”
The news of the album comes with a statement from Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí that reads:
They tried to stop us by branding Kneecap ‘terrorists’, with cancellations, with statements from the Prime Minister himself.
We had all the motivation we needed…this isn’t a swift reaction, but a considered response to those that tried to silence us. And failed.
Made with Dan Carey, a producer we are honoured to have worked with. It’s a more sinister sound…because these are sinister times. But also defiant and triumphant.
Inspired by, and proudly named ‘Fenian’, who were warriors in Irish folklore, and later a derogatory term for the Irish.
Now we’re using it to name everyone speaking truth to power.
After 800 years of colonisation, they thought the Irish language would die, it didn’t. Thanks to Muintir na Gaeltachta, and all the Gaels who refused to let their culture and language be destroyed.
And Kneecap is much the same…we haven’t gone away.
The Paddies are back.
The video for ‘Liars Tale’ was directed by Thomas As James the first single from the album which is accompanied by a video directed by Thom as James.
Thomas James, the director says;
For me, this needed to be punk, absurd, abrasive and wild. An ugly reflection of the world we find ourselves in; utter fucking chaos. We talked around the idea of a ‘carnival of distraction’ – and for me, this meant as many ideas as would squeeze into the 3 minutes, that embody the 2+2=5 hell-scape we seem to be surrounded by.
A whirlwind of Irish mythology, of satire, of anger. A vehicle for what everyone is witnessing. It’s not often you get to work with a band who have a genuine fire, and a selfless interest in trying to help people. And that for all of us involved, was important.
Kneecap – FENIAN
- 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)
The album is available on CD, cassette, DL, black vinyl, tri-colour splatter vinyl, and exclusive editions via WhatsApp, Bandcamp and Rough Trade.
The album is available to pre-order .
Kneecap live
Out-store dates:
23.04.26 (evening) – Circuit, KINGSTON with Banquet Records
24.04.26 (evening) – Chalk, BRIGHTON with Resident Records
25.04.26 (matinee & evening) – Fleece, BRISTOL with Rough Trade
26.04.26 (matinee & evening) – Rescue Rooms, NOTTINGHAM with Rough Trade
28.04.26 (evening) – Live House, DUNDEE with Assai
29.04.26 (evening) – Liquid Rooms, EDINBURGH with Assai
30.04.26 (evening & matinee) – TBC, LONDON with Rough Trade East
Tickets for the in-store dates go on sale at 10am on 29th January HERE.
Festival dates:
29/30-05.05.26 – AVA, BELFAST, IE
06.06.26 – Primavera, BARCELONA, ES
11.06.26 – Primavera, PORTO, PT
13.06.26 – Festi’Neuch, NEUCHATEL, CH
27.06.26 – Crystal Palace Park, LONDON, UK
01.07.26 – Open’er Festival, GDYNIA, PL
02.07.26 – Roskilde Festival, ROSKILDE, DK
04.07.27 – Rock Werchter, WERCHTER, BE
18.07.26 – PhilGood Festival, PLOVDIV, BG
30.07.26/02.08.26 – All Together Now, WATERFORD, IE
12-16.08.26 – Boomtown, WINCHESTER, UK
28-30.08.26 – Reading & Leeds Festivals, UK
More darkness. More confrontation. More craic. More energy. More solidarity. More absolute bangers. And more fuel for the unrelenting engine that powers this unstoppable force. For their remarkable second album, Kneecap have come out fighting. With their second album FENIAN, Kneecap sharpen their sound and expand their vision, delivering a record that is darker, more confrontational, and more assured.
From the opening rallying cry for the Irish language on ‘Éire go Deo’, the album moves with relentless momentum, fusing fearless political commentary with hooks built for packed rooms and late-night chaos.
Tracks like ‘Smugglers & Scholars’ and ‘Carnival’ announce an album unafraid to challenge power, blending satire, menace, and irreverence into instantly memorable moments. FENIAN is at its most striking when it widens its lens, particularly on ‘Palestine (feat. Fawzi)’, a powerful expression of transnational solidarity that places Kneecap’s work firmly within a global conversation about resistance and justice.
Musically, the album moves fluently between punk-rave, acid house, and hip-hop, with highlights including the riotous ‘Liars Tale’, the anthemic title track, and the frenetic ‘Big Bad Mo’. Elsewhere, Kneecap turn inward, tackling themes of masculinity, addiction, fame, and grief with sharp self-awareness and unexpected tenderness, culminating in the closing track ‘Irish Goodbye’.
Throughout FENIAN, Kneecap balance confrontation with craft, pairing biting intelligence with undeniable energy. The result is an album that thrills as much as it provokes, marking a clear new peak in the group’s evolution.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
