Ed Sheeran swigs Buckfast with Kneecap at Dublin gig

Belfast rappers Kneecap have been pictured swigging bottles of Buckfast with pop megastar Ed Sheeran at of one of their sold-out Dublin gigs.

The Irish language hip-hop trio began a five-night stint at Dublin’s Vicar Street venue on Monday as part of their Irish ‘Fine Art’ Winter Tour.

The first four nights have sold out, with the group adding a fifth night at Vicar Street on November 1 due to high demand.

Footage circulating on social media shows Ed Sheeran in balcony seating in the venue singing along to the group’s breakthrough hit C.E.A.R.T.A during Tuesday night’s gig.

On Wednesday, Kneecap posted a picture to their Instagram account showing members Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí with Sheeran drinking bottles of Buckfast.

The rappers have professed their love of the popular tonic wine in their music and merchandise. They sell a ‘flaming Buckfast’ t-shirt on their website with an image of a Buckfast bottle as a petrol bomb.

The image of the trio with the ‘Shape of You’ star – who is one of the world’s best-selling music artists with over 150 million records sold worldwide – was accompanied by the caption “Vicar Street. 2 down…..3 to go.”

Kneecap’s Irish Fine Art Tour, named for their debut album that was released in June, concludes with a gig at Belfast’s SSE Arena on December 21.

This week they also announced their biggest-ever live show in Ireland, to take place at Dublin’s Fairview Park next summer.

Meanwhile, the award-winning movie based on the group’s rise to fame is set to be available for streaming from next month.

Featuring the trio playing themselves in the semi-fictional comedy alongside stars including Michael Fassbender, the film, directed by Rich Peppiatt and released in cinemas back in August, will be available on Amazon Prime from November 15.

It has been selected as Ireland’s entry for the International Feature Film category of the Oscars, ahead of the shortlists being revealed in December.