Kneecap have announced the release date of their latest song, a day after cancelling a string of US tour dates.
On Monday, the group said it would be cancelling 15 gigs because of the "proximity" of band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh's next court hearing in London, where prosecutors allege the 27-year-old displayed a flag in support of the proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig last year.
On Tuesday, Kneecap - Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh - announced that their new track, Sayonara, will be released digitally on Tuesday 2 September after performing it at festivals and gigs over the summer.
The rap group said they have teamed up with Paul Hartnoll from the electronic music duo Orbital for the song, which has a physical release date of Friday 10 October.
Orbital's track Belfast, which featured on the British duo's 1991 debut self-titled studio album, appears on the soundtrack of the BAFTA-winning film Kneecap.
Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, will return to Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday 26 September, after his legal team argued the case should be thrown out because of a technical error in the way the charge was brought against him.
At the adjourned hearing in September, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring will rule on whether he has the jurisdiction to try the case.
In a social media post, the group said refunds for their US tour will be available from point of purchase and promised they will be "sharing something very special" for their US fans next week, which will mean "we can still link in with you all in October".
Kneecap, who formed in Belfast and released their first single in 2017, confirmed their four sold-out October shows in Canada, in Vancouver and Toronto, should go ahead as planned.
The new single comes after months of sold-out shows and festival performances across the UK, including a set at the Glastonbury Festival in June that was investigated by Avon and Somerset Police, who later said they would be taking "no further action".
Kneecap initially hit headlines in April when footage emerged that appeared to show a band member saying, "Kill your local MP" at one gig and saying, "Up Hamas, up Hezbollah" at another.
The group have apologised to the families of murdered MPs and said they have "never supported" Hamas or Hezbollah.
Source: Press Association
