KNEECAP – Sayōnara
KNEECAP teams up with Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll for “Sayōnara”, a rave-rap banger that’s been destroying festival crowds all summer. The collaboration makes perfect sense – the Irish trio have always drawn from ’90s rave and electronica, and Hartnoll’s production gives their Irish-language raps the hardcore edge they deserve.
“Sayōnara” features the quick tempo, synth stabs, and industrial textures you’d expect from an Orbital collaboration. It captures the darkened rave stylings of The Prodigy and Underworld while keeping KNEECAP’s punk attitude front and centre. The track got its live debut at Glastonbury in front of 30,000 people and has been a crowd favourite ever since.
The video, directed by Finn Keenan, stars Derry Girls’ Jamie Lee O’Donnell as an office worker whose reality blurs between desk job monotony and euphoric rave escape. She drives around Belfast in a van emblazoned with “Free Mo Chara”, referencing member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh’s ongoing terrorism charge in the UK.
The collaboration came together naturally after Orbital’s “Belfast” appeared on the KNEECAP film soundtrack. DJ Próvaí met Hartnoll over coffee and scones in Belfast, pitched the idea, and Hartnoll “fucking nailed” the production. The result works as both a nostalgic ’90s throwback and a contemporary festival anthem.
“Sayōnara” will be released October 10th as a double A-side 12″ with “The Recap” on Heavenly Recordings.
Europe:
- Wembley Arena, London – September 18, 2025
- Various UK tour dates throughout 2025
- Ovo Hydro, Glasgow – 2025 (SOLD OUT)
- 3Arena, Dublin – Two shows, December 2025
