Tom Morello on Kneecap: “The Rage Against The Machine of now”
Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello as declared Kneecap as the successor to his former band’s throne.
Morello, who recently oversaw Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell show at Villa Park in Birmingham as creative director, has been a prominent supporter of the Irish hip-hop trio amid the ongoing legal battle facing Mo Chara.
Alongside the likes of Brian Eno, Paul Weller, Pulp, Massive Attack, Fontaines DC, Idles, and Annie Mac, Morello signed a petition in support of Kneecap in May after it was confirmed they were being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.
Since then, the Metropolitan Police have formally charged Mo Chara with a terror offence following the conclusion of the investigation. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on June 18th and has been ordered to return to court on August 20th for his next hearing.
Morello reiterated his support for Kneecap during a recent appearance on The Strombo Show when host George Stroumboulopoulos asked him about the contemporary acts that remind him of Rage Against The Machine.
“(Kneecap are placed at) the top of the list,” he replied. “I mean, they’re clearly the Rage Against The Machine of now. Like, there’s them and there’s a gap to the next one.”
The guitarist also said of the band’s legal difficulties: “What they’re doing in their art is what people could probably stand to do more in their lives: to really speak truth to power. And, you know, Kneecap are not terrorists.”
Morello passionately added: “What is terroristic is, you know, 20,000 dead Palestinian children. That’s the story. Not some Irish rappers who don’t like that that’s happening. Should not be the story.”
It comes after Kneecap revealed they were banned from advertising their upcoming Wembley Arena show on the London tube network.
They wrote on X: “After using the tube to advertise loads of times for gigs, records and our movie, all without issue. The below poster has been rejected because: ‘it is likely to cause widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public on account of the product or service being advertised, the content or design of the advertisement, or by way of implication.'”
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