TOUR DIARY

The Boys of Kneecap Just Want to Have a Wank

 

Kneecap

“Back in the day, you would’ve been shot behind the kneecap for any kind of drug-related crimes here,” says Mo Chara of the Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap. “So we thought it’s the most ironic, perfect name for what we’re doing.” What Chara and his bandmates Móglaí Bap and DJ Provai are doing is leading a revival of Irish rap, setting their native language, which only last year gained full status as an official language in the European union, against trap beats and rebellious sentiments. And though American fans might not understand exactly what the lads are saying, they ate it up when Kneecap played a string of sold-out shows across the U.S. last month. “There was this 60-year-old in the mosh pit and she lost her glasses and got trampled on,” says Bap. “We saw her after and she had the time of her life.” Between stops in New York, Philly, and San Francisco, and before a movie starring Michael Fassbender gets made about their lives, the trio joined us for this week’s edition of Tour Diary to talk about life on the road and the scourge of American food on their bowels.

———

Introduce yourselves.

MO CHARA: Well, I’m Mo Chara.

MOGLAI BAP: I’m Moglai Bap.

DJ PROVAI: I’m Provai.

CHARA: He’s Provai, and we’re the sex appeal.

BAP: I’m the first front man. He’s the second front man.

CHARA: We’re the rappers and he’s the fellow who hits the space bar at the back of the stage. He’s the third man, basically.

Kneecap

How long have you guys been making music together?

CHARA: I’d say the end of 2017, 2018. We kind of started off in GarageBand. I wasn’t too sold on it, but he [Bap] had this idea of us doing a band in our Irish language. I didn’t know what the fuck was about to happen, but it was the best thing you’ve ever convinced me to do it, aye?

BAP: 2018 was when we really started doing music. We did our first track up in our attic. We were living together in a small house. Our first track, “C.E.A.R.T.A.” kind of popped off a wee bit. So after that we thought we might as well give this a go, and here we are.

Kneecap

What’s the story behind the band name?

CHARA: We wanted to be authentic. Because the hip hop in Ireland and hip hop, I suppose even in England back in the day, was very, very much… what’s the word I’m looking for?

BAP: Mimicking.

CHARA: They were mimicking American culture because American hip hop came first, so people didn’t really know how to do it authentically themselves. So we were like, “We want to be authentically Irish, authentically ourselves.” Obviously we’re talking about youth culture and talking about drugs and antisocial behavior. And back in the day, you would’ve been shot behind the kneecap for any kind of drug-related crimes here. So we thought it’s the most ironic, perfect name for what we’re doing.

Kneecap

What’s the biggest difference between American fans and Irish ones?

CHARA: Wit. American fans, they’re very enthusiastic people. You get some people who are real fanatics, who are really into it. There’s no real middle ground with American audiences, they’re either completely on your team and ready to go to war for you or else they’re a bit standoffish and not as interested. But I think we got plenty of the right people.

BAP: They’re very enthusiastic and they’re just there for the atmosphere and the energy. Obviously, they don’t understand what we’re saying because not many people do, but it’s not a hindrance or an obstacle. That’s a good thing about the Americans. People in San Francisco and L.A were going crazy. There was this 60-year-old in the mosh pit and she lost her glasses and got trampled on. We saw her after and she had the time of her life. We like to have all ages in the mosh pit.

Kneecap

Which is your favorite American city to play?

CHARA: The crowd was fucking wild in Philadelphia. They’re a different breed.

BAP: The Philly heads were there to give us a show as well, rather than just us giving them a show.

Kneecap

Who wakes up first and what are your self-care routines?

BAP: Well, the biggest challenge for any touring band, especially when you’re coming from Ireland to America, is that you’re not going to make money. If you break even, you’re doing a good job. So we were obviously staying in the same room, sharing beds every night. Some of us were snoring loudly. Some of us have some weird antics when we sleep. So either we got no sleep or, if we were very drunk, we’d all pass out. I don’t think we had any self-care.

CHARA: Do you know what the hardest self-care was? How badly our bums were treated from American food. Trying to do a solid shit was a struggle.

BAP: Or having a wank. It’d be impossible to have a wank because we’d all be sleeping in the same bed. You’d have to go downstairs to the lobby toilets to have a wank, walking around with balls the size of a fucking sack of potatoes. Big, massive cojones.

Kneecap

Who controls the aux cord when you guys are on the road traveling?

BAP: We had the boom on the Bluetooth. We’re always trying to sleep when we’re in the car because we’re all drinking the night before and nobody gives a fuck what’s on the radio. You’re not really on form as much as people would think. Do you know what I mean? Playing the gig, you’re up early, you have a long drive to do, and the last thing you want to do is listen to music that’s going to energize you. I want relaxing music. Sleepy, dreamy, nighty snoozy-snooze in the back.

BAP: On previous tours, we would’ve been listening to Desert Island Discs when we were driving around.

PROVAI: Or David Attenborough talking through the radio. That’s nice.

Kneecap

What song yields the best reaction from the crowd?

CHARA: Probably “Hood,” which is the very last one.

BAP: When “Get Your Brits Out” starts, that gets a good reaction because they know the words, obviously. There’s a good a cappella at the end of “Fenian Cunts,” where we drop out the instrumental and let the crowd sing back.

Who’s someone, dead or alive, you’d want to play alongside?

CHARA: Oh, fuck.

PROVAI: Queen Lizzie. Does it have to be a musician?

BAP: LL Cool J. Is he dead?

CHARA: LL Cool J? No.

BAP: LL Cool J is a cool dude.

CHARA: I’d love to be on stage with peak Chili Peppers. With Flea on the boat with his cock out playing the bass. I’m there.

What’s on your rider?

CHARA: If we’re in Ireland or in Scotland or in certain places in England, we obviously have a bottle of Buckfast. We have five of those tonic wines, obviously it’s made by the monks in Devon in England. That’s our liquid cocaine.

BAP: If it’s a fancy gig, a bottle of Hennessy.

CHARA: A bottle of Hennessy and a lovely coloring book.

BAP: We need some tablets to help with constipation.

CHARA: Laxatives. A physician. A chiropractor.

Who’s most likely among the three of you to get rich on OnlyFans?

CHARA: Well, you answer that one.

BAP: I think after our movie comes out, it’s probably going to be him [Provai].

PROVAI: I’ve got some sex scenes. I bust some serious moves in the movie.

CHARA: I don’t know if I’ve got the cock for it.

BAP: Can you get cock extensions in America?

CHARA: You can get everything in America.