Kneecap are on their way to securing the Number One spot on the UK album charts, but facing tough competition from Melanie C and Michael Jackson.
The new record, ‘Fenian‘, dropped at the start of the month, and marks the latest from the Irish hip-hop trio since their critically acclaimed 2024 debut album, ‘Fine Art’. It features collaborations from Kae Tempest, Radie Peat and Fawzi, as well as the powerful, moving track ‘Irish Goodbye’, which tackles heavy themes of depression, loss and grief.
Its title, they explained, is “inspired by, and proudly named [after] warriors in Irish folklore” which was later used as a derogatory term for the Irish. “Now we’re using it to name everyone speaking truth to power,” they said, announcing the record at the start of the year.
Now, it looks like the sophomore record could be the first chart topper from the group, as it currently holds the Number One spot on the midweek UK album charts.
It is followed closely by the new Mel C album ‘Sweat’, which is the ninth solo album from the former Spice Girl and is on track to be her best performing record in the charts yet – with her 1999 debut ‘Northern Star’ landing at Number Four.
If it surpasses Kneecap and takes the top spot, it will be the first solo album from a Spice Girl to top the charts.
In third spot at the midweek mark is ‘The Essential’ collection from Michael Jackson, which is getting momentum 21 years after its initial release thanks to the new Michael biopic.
It previously topped the charts for seven consecutive weeks following Jackson’s death in 2009, and is on track to secure the top spot once again if momentum picks up.
According to Official Charts data, there are less than 3,000 units separating third spot and first spot by the midweek mark.
The rest of the charts this week include Kacey Musgraves’ new record ‘Middle Of Nowhere’, which is likely to be her fourth record to make the Top 10, Tori Amos with ‘In Times Of Dragons’, and the soundtrack to the new Billie Eilish live concert film, Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D).
Kneecap’s ‘Fenian’ was given a four-and-a-half-star review from NME, which read: “Put all the rage-bait headlines aside and what you’re left with is a solid, progressive and fearless album from a group that could just as easily be dicking around instead of making music that matters. In that sense at least, their day has come.”
Their album also came following charges against Mo Chara (real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) being thrown out. The rapper was charged for allegedly displaying the flag of Hezbollah – a proscribed terrorist organisation – and shouting “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah,” during a gig in London back in 2024.
The band, who have continuously denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, argued that the footage from the gig had been taken out of context and described the legal action as a “carnival of distraction”. He also maintained that he didn’t know what the flag was when he picked it up, and the band invited fans to gather in support when they made three court appearances.
The decision to throw the charges out was reached in September, and decided due to technicalities relating to the way in which the case was brought about. An appeal was then made by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in January, but thrown out on March 11 after two high court judges stood by the initial decision.
When asked by NME in a new In Conversation interview if the legal issues had affected the new album, Chara replied: “I didn’t see it as pressure. Obviously, we do thrive in the chaos, and sometimes it’s easier to deal with things when it’s so chaotic, and you’re onto the next thing.
“We understood that there were a lot of eyes on this album. Second album syndrome is quite intense for a lot of bands,” he added. “We knew if you were a Kneecap fan and had been watching what had been going on for the last year, you’d be very disappointed if there was no mention of it in the album. Of course there is, and we wouldn’t let you down.”
Check out that interview in full here, or watch it in the video above.