LIVE REVIEWS
In a top hat, framed in black and white, Róisín Murphy stares down the lens. Facing away from the audience, she peers into a camera on a mount; the resulting image is beamed via an imposing screen at the back of the stage. With the 10,000-strong Alexandra Palace crowd behind her, she scarcely blinks as an insistent house beat burbles away.
She slips off her jacket, runs both hands down her neck, her five-piece band churning confidently through the lithe funk of ‘Can’t Replicate’. When the beat quickens, she flexes her muscles and poses like a prize fighter with arms aloft. “I need you,” the 50-year-old croons steadily, shadowboxing on the spot, never breaking eye contact, “so you don’t you keep it… I love you.”
It’s a message, perhaps, for the fans who’ve stayed with her on the rocky road to this undeniably impressive show, her biggest yet and a milestone in any artist’s career. Murphy takes a few songs to warm up, but when she does, the rewards are bountiful, as she complements her experimental dance-pop with an array of outlandish costume changes. Once she’s paired the knockabout ‘Ramalama (Bang Bang)’ with an oversized feathered headdress and the stoic ‘Something More’ with a funereal black veil, you’re well-reminded she’s been donning daft gear since Harry Styles was in his school uniform.
Six months have passed since the release of the former Moloko singer’s thrillingly weird, Balearic-flavoured sixth solo album ‘Hit Parade’. Murphy had long been a critical darling, but this record, which ebbs with a potent, insular magic, appeared destined to bring her to a whole new stratosphere of acclaim. Just over a week before it came out, though, she went viral for all the wrong reasons.
It emerged that, on her private Facebook page, the queer icon had described the use of puberty blockers in young trans people as “fucked, absolutely desolate, big pharma laughing all the way to the bank”. The screengrabbed comments duly blew up on Twitter, appalling vast swathes of her audience. Her label, Ninja Tune, reportedly ceased to market the album, an apology was issued, gigs were pulled and Róisín Murphy was quite literally cancelled.
The furore marked one of the stranger and more unexpected chapters in the culture wars. In fact, it seemed the only thing anyone could agree on was that ‘Hit Parade’ is an extraordinary album – one that became her biggest commercial success so far, reaching Number Five in the UK. And then this enormous show sold out back in December.
If the ensuing crowd is best described as “40-something and intense-looking” (there must be at least 5,000 pairs of thick-rimmed spectacles on display here), the music itself is, for the most part, transcendently light-hearted. Murphy dances cartoonishly to the crunching disco of ‘Incapable’, stopping just short of jazz hands, and grips the mic stand when she head-bangs to her ‘00s anthem ‘Overpowered’.
She says little, beyond repeated expressions of gratitude to the audience, but spends the encore doing press-ups in a floor-length sequinned gown; an image that seems to speak volumes about her determination to keep this show on the road. On tonight’s evidence, you wouldn’t bet against her.
Róisín Murphy played:
‘Pure Pleasure Seeker’
‘Dear Miami’
‘Simulation’
‘Overpowered’
‘CooCool’
‘The Universe’
‘You Knew’
‘The Time is Now’
‘Incapable’
‘Something More / Let Me Know’
‘Sing It Back / Murphy’s Law’
‘Can’t Replicate’
‘Ramalama (Bang Bang)’
‘Forever More’
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.
