Elton John shared his fondness for Kneecap, saying that he “loves everything about them”.

Speaking to host Nick Grimshaw on the BBC Radio 6 Music Breakfast Show, Elton recalled: “I saw a video of them and I just was so knocked out by the energy they had and the vitality they had.

“They were just extraordinary and what they talk about is political, and there’s not many bands that do that. So, I love them, I love the energy, I love everything about them.”

The Irish language hip-hop group had already received praise from the pop icon back in September, when their had been invited on his Rocket Hour radio show.

At the time, he’d told Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara AND DJ Próvaí that they were “very brave to speak out, and you come from a humorous place – and it just makes me happy.”

He added: “Now, you wouldn’t think an old softie like me would be interested in Kneecap, but I am, because the energy, the music, the power – the power, the power. Not many people have that power.”