Who would have guessed that First Minister John Swinney would have an opinion on this year's TRNSMT festival line-up – let alone demand that one of its acts be dropped for being “beyond the pale”? The timeline we’re living in grows stranger by the day.

Kneecap, the pro-republican West Belfast rap group, is currently being raked over the coals in the media and among opportunistic politicians for incendiary comments made during live performances from 2023, including recorded chants of “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah” and “Kill your local MP”.

“I think [their statements] make it incredibly difficult for a band like Kneecap to perform at TRNSMT because I think they have crossed a line to be honest.

“It would be unacceptable to perform on such a stage given the fact their comments are so beyond the pale,” the First Minister told the BBC.

Critics dredged up these comments in the wake of the group’s performance at Coachella, where overtly anti-Israel messages were displayed throughout their set. One member told the crowd, “The Palestinians have nowhere to go. It’s their f***ing home and they’re bombing them from the skies. If you’re not calling it a genocide, what the f*** are you calling it?”

© Herald Scotland