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The band, which made headlines for its pro-Palestine, anti-Israel pronouncements during the Coachella Music Festival, is no longer represented by IAG.
By Ethan Millman
Music Editor
Controversial Irish hip-hop group Kneecap parted ways with their booking agency Independent Artist Group, sources confirm to The Hollywood Reporter.
It’s unclear what led to the band’s split from the agency, which took place between the first and second weekends of the Coachella music festival. After their weekend one set, the band claimed Coachella had censored their pro-Palestine messages from the festival’s official livestream. Kneecap had faced significant backlash from Jewish music executives and groups after their weekend two set, after sharing a “fuck Israel, free Palestine” message on stage. (Weekend two’s Kneecap performance was not livestreamed, but images of the onstage projections circulated widely on social media.)
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A representative for IAG (which counts Billy Joel, Metallica and Mary J. Blige on its artist roster) confirmed the agency no longer represents Kneecap but didn’t provide any further details. IAG was formed in 2023 with the merger of midsize agencies APA and AGI. Kneecap’s management didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. Sources confirm to THR that with the departure from IAG, the agency is no longer a sponsor for the band’s U.S. work visas, which raises the question of Kneecap’s status to play U.S. shows. Outside of the U.S., Kneecap is repped by Primary Talent International.
It’s common for U.S. booking agencies to serve as visa sponsors for international acts, and if their relationship with an artist ends, that sponsorship goes with it. All of the band’s shows listed on their website for the summer are outside the U.S. as Kneecap are expected to play several major festivals including Primavera Sound in Spain and Glastonbury in England in June, but they do have a mostly sold out U.S. tour slated to start in October, so for those shows to go on without a hitch, the visas need to be sorted by then.
With the band now having an opening for their booking agency, the question now becomes what this means for who will represent them, or if they’ll face any struggles finding a new agency as groups like the Creative Community for Peace called it “outrageous” for Coachella’s organizers AEG and Goldenvoice to have platformed them “at a time of record levels of antisemitism.” (Both the CCFP and others like Sharon Osbourne have called for the band’s visas to be revoked). The band’s critics have pointed toward statements Kneecap have made at concerts in support of Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which the U.S. labels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Kneecap’s Mo Chara responded to the criticism, to Rolling Stone on Wednesday, claiming that their message is “about [the Israeli government’s] government’s sickening actions, not ordinary people.”
The band issued a more extensive statement on their Instagram on Friday, stating they faced a smear campaign from critics who “weaponize false accusations of antisemitism to distract, confuse and provide cover for genocide.”
“We do not give a f*ck what religion anyone practices,” the band wrote. “We know there are massive numbers of Jewish people outraged by this genocide just as we are. What we care about is that governments of the countries we perform in are enabling some of the most horrific crimes of our lifetimes – and we will not stay silent.”
April 25, 12 p.m. Updated with IAG pulling their sponsorship.
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