DETECTIVES IN MELBOURNE will probe if a head from a statue, which appeared onstage at a Kneecap gig in the city last week, is the same head that has been the subject to a months-long investigation.

Vandals decapitated a statue of King George V in Melbourne on 10 June 2024, a national holiday day in Australia marking the birth of the British Monarch. Police immediately launched an investigation into the incident.

Investigators confirmed at the time that the statute’s head had been removed and red paint had apparently been thrown at the remaining structure. Detectives from Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit have continued their work.

The Belfast-born hip-hop trio performed in the city on Friday night and later posted an image to Instagram from the gig that appeared to show a crown on stage beside band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (Mo Chara).

Image taken of the damage which was done to the George V statue in Melbourne last year. Alamy Alamy

Kneecap claimed that it was the same head taken from the statue in Melbourne and was “put on stage for a few tunes and then whisked away”. The band also posted a screengrab of an news headline detailing the incident from last year.

In the post, the band wrote: “Some madman dropped by with a huge King George’s head so he could hear a few tunes for our last Melbourne show!”

In a statement this afternoon, police in Melbourne said detectives investigating the disappearance and vandalism of the head from the statue are continuing their work.

No arrests have been made as of now, a spokesperson said. They told The Journal that investigators are aware that a head from a statue appeared at a concert in Melbourne over the weekend. 

“Detectives will investigate whether there is any link between the two incidents,” they said.