Kneecap - 3CAG

Kneecap's 3CAG is where the Belfast trio's riotous story began, a 2018 mixtape that tangled Irish and English together with a wicked sense of humour, now on vinyl.

Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí had already caused a stir with their debut single "C.E.A.R.T.A.", which was pulled from Irish-language radio over its drug references and cursing. 3CAG doubled down. The title is slang for MDMA, drawn from the Irish for three consonants and a vowel, and the songs paint a cheeky, unfiltered picture of nights out, run-ins with the police and growing up working class in post-Troubles Belfast.

The production, handled by the group themselves, is lean and punchy, built on thumping beats that leave plenty of room for the rapid-fire back-and-forth on the mic. "C.E.A.R.T.A." still crackles with defiance, "Amach Anocht" captures the giddy rush of a night out, and "Bouncers" turns a familiar standoff at the door into sharp, funny storytelling. Eight tracks, and not a dull one among them.

Beneath the jokes lies a serious point about language and identity, delivered with more swagger than any lecture ever could.

Years before Fine Art and their biographical film made them international names, this is Kneecap at their rawest and most irreverent.