Irish hip hop group Kneecap is still planning to play a pair of sold-out shows in Vancouver after cancelling all of their upcoming U.S. tour dates.
The tour was cancelled as one of the group's members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (who goes by Mo Chara on stage), has a court date on Sept. 26, in London, England to face a terrorism-related charge.
The charge stems from a show in London in 2024 when Ó hAnnaidh allegedly displayed a Hezbollah flag; the Lebanese paramilitary group is listed as a terrorist group by several governments, including the UK and Canada.
Kneecap is a politically outspoken group, especially around Irish republicanism. Based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, they've spoken about a reunited Ireland. The group is also a supporter of the Palestinian people, including displaying a message at Coachella calling the current Israeli actions in Palestine genocide.
In a statement on social media, Kneecap announced the cancellation of their upcoming U.S. concerts.
"Due to the proximity of our next court hearing in London to the first date of the tour, as the British government its witch-hunt, we have to cancel all 15 US tour dates in October," reads the statement.
Kneecap go on to note the shows were all sold out.
However, while the American dates were all cancelled, Kneecap says its concerts in Toronto and Vancouver are still happening.
"Canadian shows are not affected and we will be playing our four sold-out shows in Vancouver and Toronto," reads the post.
Kneecap has two sold-out shows at Vancouver's Vogue Theatre booked for Oct. 22 and 23.
Resale sites are showing high prices for the shows, though that could shift. SeatGeek's cheapest ticketsare $1,119 (including fees) while StubHub's cheapest tickets are just over $1,200 each, including fees, as of Tuesday morning.
