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Sometimes an album is immediate, its themes and motives obvious the first time you hit play. Others are more elusive. Irish dance don Róisín Murphy’s last record, 2020’s ‘Róisín Machine’, fell into the former camp. A pandemic-defying collection of joyful disco belters crafted with Sheffield’s DJ Parrot, it landed amid an unlikely revival of the ‘70s genre and shimmied to Number 14 in the UK album chart, becoming her high-charting solo album yet. Its follow-up ‘Hit Parade’, however, is an altogether more slippery affair.
However, the album arrives under a cloud of controversy, with Murphy criticised online in recent weeks for comments about the trans community and her opposition to puberty blockers. The stance felt particularly bruising for the queer core of her fanbase, and at odds with her previous unwavering support of the community. “I should’ve known that I was stepping out of line,” she said in response. “For those of you who are leaving me, or have already left, I understand, I really do, but please know I have loved every one of you.” It has since been reported that her label Ninja Tune are set to continue with the album’s release while not actively promoting it.
Like its predecessor, ‘Hit Parade’ emerged from a long-running team-up with an acclaimed underground producer – in this case, German techno wizard DJ Koze. Murphy recorded a couple of tracks for his excellently eccentric 2018 album ‘Knock Knock’ and, perhaps unsurprisingly, considering her own oddball musical tendencies, found a kindred spirit. We’re talking, after all, about the woman who left chart-botherers Moloko to make her 2005 solo debut ‘Ruby Blue’, a supremely weird concoction of crank-jazz and flatulent beats that reportedly featured ‘brass mice’ (us neither).
Album six isn’t quite that weird – indeed, its tongue-in-cheek title is derived from Koze’s jokey promise that he would take Murphy to the top of the ‘Hit Parade’ – but does operate via its own interior logic, as is perhaps fitting of a record that was pieced together remotely over a number of years. On the one hand, this is accessible alt-pop that drifts from gorgeous, featherweight soul (early single ‘CooCool’) to intoxicating dancefloor euphoria (‘Free Will’) and crackly electro balladry (‘The Universe’).
On the other, it’s punctuated by in-joke skits such as ‘Crazy Ants Surprise’, which sees Murphy play a disco-damaged party monster: “We wanted a certain DJ and the DJ wasn’t there and we were, like, ‘Oh, this is not what we were, like, signed up for…?’” This complex puzzle of a record is also studded with subtle allusions to mortality, a motif Murphy has said was influenced by her late father, who sadly died from Parkinson’s Disease after it was completed.
That emotionally charged theme comes to the fore with standout track ‘Fader’, a truly transcendent big beat weepie on which Murphy recounts the defiant mantra: “Off to meet my maker / When I’m good and ready”. It’s a line that perhaps holds the key to ‘Hit Parade’, a playful record imbued with a sense of mystery and occasional glimpses of autobiography, slowly revealing itself as the cracked mirror image of ‘Róisín Machine’’s bruised optimism.
LIVE REVIEWS
The closing hours of Reading 2026 have finally arrived. Florence + The Machine brought the rain during ‘Dog Days Are Over’ at The Grid, opening the heavens and leaving the festival site completely soaked. The weary fans who have stayed behind are wet, exhausted and clearly feeling the effects of the weekend. What they need now is one final enormous celebration to make the wait worthwhile.
The Gallery tent comes alive as the speakers blast ‘Favourite’ by Friday’s headliners and fellow countrymen Fontaines D.C., receiving the kind of reaction usually reserved for ‘Mr Brightside’ at a drunken wedding reception. Moments later, Kneecap display their familiar statement accusing Israel of carrying out genocide against the people of Palestine and Lebanon, with support from the UK government. It captures the Belfast rap trio perfectly, combining serious political messages with an unapologetic party atmosphere.
“We use our platform to talk about what we believe is right,” Mo Chara explains during the performance, before recognising those who “aren’t so fucking lucky” and whose voices have been suppressed. He soon encourages the audience to roar “fuck Netanyahu” and “free free Palestine”. Later, he starts a powerful chant of “Aaaaaa-ndy Buuurn-ham’s a waaaaaaan-ker” to the melody of ‘Seven Nation Army’, targeting our new Prime Minister over his claim that “a united Ireland is off the table”. Laughing, he asks: “The BBC won’t broadcast that, or will they?” As it turned out, they did not.
Away from the headlines and the controversy, there is no denying the connection Kneecap have built with their audience. Politics may shape the conversation, but the crowd also came to enjoy themselves, ready for a rave after the rally. The performance begins carefully with the heavy rumble of ‘Smugglers & Scholars’, before exploding during the Grian Chatten collaboration ‘Better Way To Live’ and the threatening energy of ‘Sick In The Head’. “Are ya ready for a mad one?” Mo Chara shouts. The response is already obvious.
The atmosphere becomes increasingly chaotic as the hip hop rhythm of ‘Cold At The Top’ and the hypnotic trance sounds of ‘An Ra’ send the entire tent into motion. The trio jokingly thank the UK for everything it has given Ireland, listing UKIP, fish and chips, a mental health crisis, Jimmy Saville, HP Sauce and Bloody Sunday. However, the show reaches another level once the second half begins. The explosive ‘Sayonara’ brings the ‘beef’ to ‘IBEEFA’, while ‘Get Your Brits Out’ and ‘Guilty Conscience’ give the crowd every reason to obey Móglaí Bap’s demand to “oooopen up the piiiiiit”.
Anyone watching closely may have questioned why the cameras continued to focus on Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara. The pair eventually reveal that they have spent recent weeks performing alongside a “provisional” DJ Próvai. Wearing the familiar tricolour balaclava, the temporary replacement handles his role as the crowd agitator with confidence while their bandmate enjoys some paternity leave. “Some things are more important than music, and that’s family,” they explain. How sweet. Móglaí Bap quickly destroys the tender moment by adding: “As you might know, the Brits took all our potatoes from Ireland; they took all our cocaine,” before declaring, “but we still have all our caaandy.” The group then charge directly into one of the biggest tracks ever written about extremely powerful ketamine.
‘Liar’s Tale’ sparks another huge reaction with its response to Keir Starmer, “genocide armer”, while the group warn that “you’re not getting away with doing nothing”. It is a politically charged message hidden inside an irresistible anthem from musicians who have experienced the “belly of the beast” through the legal system. Their latest album, ‘Fenian’, has helped Kneecap fully embrace the celebration that has always been part of their identity. Their live production now feels capable of filling arenas, blending the intimacy of a late night lock in with the rhythmic force and visual scale of The Chemical Brothers, the reckless electronic punk spirit of The Prodigy, and the fearless political honesty of Public Enemy. The spectacular visuals complete the experience.
Kneecap fans at Reading 2026. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Kneecap fans at Reading 2026. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Closing with the powerful combination of ‘Fenian’, ‘H.O.O.D.’ and the enormous ‘The Recap’, Kneecap bring our final celebration at Reading to a thrilling conclusion while also finishing their last festival appearance of the summer. “It’s been a pleasure to spend it with you mad c**ts,” Mo Chara says before leaving the stage. The feeling is mutual.
Return to NME here for the newest reports, reviews, photographs, conversations and further coverage from Reading & Leeds 2026.
