LIVE REVIEWS
‘This is The O21!’ 21 Savage yells, closing his marathon two-hour set against a waterfall of cascading fireworks, combining his name with the venue he’s staking a claim to… close enough! His stoic exterior has dropped to reveal genuine elation for a homecoming that’s been a decade in the making; to mark the occasion, his fans are sporting tees emblazoned with the words ‘legal citizen’.
31-year-old Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph is now a stalwart in the Atlanta rap scene, but was born in London before moving to the US at age seven. In 2019, his undocumented status meant he was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and threatened with deportation. After a lengthy legal battle, Savage was declared a ‘lawful permanent resident’ in October – hence the merch.
Tonight (November 30) Savage is finishing a victory lap around the country. He’s performing for the first time in London with a whopping 33 song setlist, split loosely into three sections. For added extravagance, he enlists J Hus, Central Cee and Popcaan to do minute-long performances of their biggest songs.
Savage’s hypnotic flow and ominous instrumentals make him particularly captivating on records, though this doesn’t necessarily translate to his live performances. He’s practically shouting throughout the set, more like a traditional MC than the breathy wordsmith we’re used to: the whispering verse on ‘Don’t Come Out The House’ is delivered, strikingly, at full volume.
Nevertheless, he is a natural showman. His rapid delivery of guest features, like Nardo Wick’s ‘Who Want Smoke??’, gets a rapturous response despite being just 30 seconds long. The same goes for a crowd-pleasing stint on Post Malone’s ‘Rockstar’ and cult favourite ‘Peaches & Eggplants’, where the comical line of, “She got a tattoo right by her bikini that says, ‘Eat me’’’ gets joyously propelled off the walls by the 20,000-strong crowd.
While ‘ball w/o you’ and ‘Out For The Night’ showcase his prowess as a lyricist, the atmosphere in the crowd falls flat in the second act. To salvage it, a hat-trick of Hus, Cee and “Poppy” – as he referred to Popcaan – fire up energy levels for the closing act. Their appearances, combined with visuals of the capital and head-to-toe looks in local designer Mowalola, reinstate this idea of Savage being welcomed home with open arms.
Despite two chart-topping solo albums and a Grammy for Best Rap Song (‘A Lot’), it feels like he’s never quite been taken seriously. His issues with ICE were first seen as a joke – but look who’s laughing now. The closing song ‘Rich Flex’ has the crowd breaking into moshpits and screaming, “21, can you do somethin’ for me? / Can you hit a lil’ rich flex for me?’”. It’s so powerful he does it twice. Savage’s chance to perform in the UK has been robbed for so long that just to be here, celebrating his career thus far, feels like a deliciously anarchic triumph.
21 Savage played:
‘Runnin’
‘Glock in My Lap’
‘Don’t Come Out the House’
‘No Heart’
‘Who Want Smoke??’
‘Many Men’
‘Dip Dip’
‘Walk Em Down (Don’t Kill Civilians)’
‘EA’
‘Red Opps’
‘Broke Boys’
’10 Freaky Girls’
‘ball w/o You’
‘Ocean Drive’
‘out for the night’
‘Privileged Rappers’
‘Mr. Right Now’
‘Spin Bout U’
‘X’
‘Peaches & Eggplants’
‘a&t’
‘On BS’
‘TOPIA TWINS’
‘Creepin”
‘m y . l i f e’
‘a lot’
‘Rich N***a Shit’
‘rockstar’
‘Major Distribution’
‘Jimmy Cooks’
‘Knife Talk’
‘Bank Account’
‘Rich Flex’
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.
