A WOMAN who live- streamed Kneecap’s Glastonbury gig was hailed by the band as a “legend” after her TikTok broadcast was seen by millions.
Helen Wilson, from Wales, became a social media sensation after filming the set by the Belfast rappers on the West Holts Stage on Saturday.
Kneecap performed at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday last[/caption]
Jamie Dornan joined Kneecap after their Glastonbury set[/caption]
Helen filmed the set by the Belfast rappers on the West Holts Stage[/caption]
She held up her phone for over an hour, even burning her finger on the overheating device, to bring the music to the masses.
It came after the BBC decided not to stream the gig live, following controversy over the planned performance. It was later made available on its on-demand iPlayer service.
Kneecap have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under as Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence in the UK after a gig last year.
But the trio last night learned they won’t be prosecuted by terror cops over their 2023 “kill your MP” remarks.
Thousands of people watched Helen’s livestream of the set, while nearly two million interacted with the broadcast overall, with around 1.8million people ‘liking’ the stream on TikTok.
Helen describes herself as a vegan chef and yoga teacher on her Instagram profile and is the co-owner of Ground Swansea, a cafe in Brynmill, Swansea.
In a video after the performance, she said she was “so astounded by the response” to her stream.
Helen said she went to the stage after taking part in a pro-Palestine march earlier in the day.
She told her followers: “So I basically just got a couple of pints, got my big Palestine flag and then I thought ‘Ah, I’m gonna go live’.
“I could see that very quickly I had a thousand people watching, and then that just grew and grew and grew and grew.
“I then thought ‘I can’t stop filming now’ and then people were saying ‘Oh, we need to see more, we need to see more’.”
Helen said she burned herself due to the phone overheating while she filmed.
She said: “I’m pretty battered, to be honest, but it was a f***ing amazing set.”
She added: “Thank you so much for all your messages and encouragement and support.
Thousands of festival goers attended the trio’s Saturday gig[/caption]
Bob Vylan led crowds on the West Holts Stage in chants of ‘Death, death to the IDF’[/caption]
Kneecap praised Helen in a comment posted on her TikTok profile late on Saturday[/caption]
‘IT WAS A MISSION’
“It’s ridiculous ‘cause all I did is hold a phone up — but it was a bit of a mission.
“The phone overheated, it started to run out of battery, so I plugged in my power bank. I abandoned two pints of cider and a Palestine flag.
“I did it because I knew it wasn’t going to be on the BBC so I just thought, I’m just gonna do this.” Helen was hailed on social media, with people describing her as a “hero” and a “free speech legend”.”
One person said: “Helen Wilson will never have to buy a drink in the Falls Road again.”
Another said: “Give Helen from Wales an Irish passport.”
Kneecap praised Helen in a comment posted on her TikTok profile late on Saturday – and offered her tickets to any gig she wanted.
‘YOU’RE A LEGEND’
They said: “Helen you’re a legend! Tickets to any show just giz a shout! Grma.”
Helen responded: “Oh my god!! I cannot believe this. Thank you so much for everything you do and stand for.”
Helen told The Irish Sun today that she works at the festival selling “real ale” to the people who pick up the litter.
She said: “I was supposed to be doing that during the Kneecap set, but when we got here earlier in the week, my friend and I spoke to our boss and said ‘we really want to go and see Kneecap’.”
Helen said she was allowed to go and see the band but had to go back to work afterwards.
She added: “Being part of that set really did feel very significant. It was amazing to be there, to share with people the strength of feeling.”
Thousands of festival goers attended the trio’s Saturday gig.
And Belfast actor Jamie Dornan joined the lads backstage afterwards.
In the run-up to Glastonbury at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for Kneecap to be removed from the line-up, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said their performance would not be “appropriate”.
‘FREE MAN’
As they took to the stage, Liam Og O hAnnaidh exclaimed: “Glastonbury, I’m a free man.”
Then, in reference to his bandmate’s forthcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would “start a riot outside the courts”, before clarifying: “No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.”
During the performance, O Caireallain also said: “The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f Keir Starmer.”
He also said a “big thank you to the Eavis family”, who run the fest, and said “they stood strong” amid calls for the organisers to drop them from the line-up.
O hAnnaidh’s case is due to be heard again at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on August 20.
‘CROSSED A LINE’
Glastonbury Festival another act on Saturday, punk duo Bob Vylan, “crossed a line”, as footage from their set is assessed by the police.
Bobby Vylan led crowds on the West Holts Stage in chants of “Death, death to the IDF”.
A joint Instagram post from Glastonbury and Emily Eavis said: “Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
Cops said video would be assessed “to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation”.
Meanwhile, UK terror police said Kneecap won’t be hauled to court over their “kill your MP” remarks.
Their probe began after a video from a November 2023 gig emerged last month. One band member could be heard in the footage saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
The Met Police have said it will not proceed with the case because of the “time elapsed” before the video was brought to their attention.
Revellers hold up Palestinian flags on the day Kneecap performs at Glastonbury Festival[/caption]
