Knats

Knats
Knats
Origin	Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Genres	Jazz; fusion;
Instruments	Drums; bass guitar; trumpet; tenor saxophone; piano;

Knats are a jazz band originally from Newcastle upon Tyne in England. They were nominated for the 2026 Mercury Prize. Their work combines with jazz with elements of rock, spoken-word poetry and punk.

Origins

King David Ike-Elechi (drums) and Stan Woodward (bass) met as teenagers at school in Newcastle and started playing rock covers together before eventually playing reggae and jazz. They moved to London c. 2022 to study jazz at Trinity Laban; they met Ferg Kilsby (trumpet), who is from Hexham near Newcastle, online after watching him play on YouTube.

History

They released their debut album, Knats, in 2025.

Their second album, A Great Day in Newcastle, was released in 2026 and was nominated for the 2026 Mercury Prize. The cover photo is an homage to the 1958 photo A Great Day in Harlem. It was produced for free by Black Midi's Geordie Greep. The album's track Wor Jackie tells the story of Newcastle United footballer and coal miner Jackie Milburn.

Live performances

In 2025, the band supported Geordie Greep on his solo tour, and performed as the backing band for Eddie Chacon on his UK tour.

In 2026, they performed at SXSW and supported Nadine Shah and the Royal Northern Sinfonia for their BBC Proms performance at Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead.

Personnel

King David-Ike Elechi (drums)
Stan Woodward (bass)
Ferg Kilsby (trumpet)
George Johnson (tenor saxophone)
Sandro Shar (piano)
Cooper Robson (vocals) (A Great Day in Newcastle)

Musical style

The band credit artists Charles Mingus, Miles Davis and Ahmed Jamal as their key influences. They describe their music as "Geordie jazz" or "Geordie noir".

Discography

Knats (2025)
A Great Day in Newcastle (2026)

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Nominee(s) / Work(s)	Category	Result	Ref.
Parliamentary Jazz Awards	2026	Band	Jazz Ensemble of the Year	Won
Mercury Prize	2026	A Great Day in Newcastle	Album of the Year	Pending

References

1 2 Duggan, Neil (18 March 2026). "Knats: A Great Day in Newcastle". All About Jazz. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pometsey, Olive (28 April 2026). ""Geordie optimism is this rigorous spirit of hard graft": Newcastle jazz band Knats break out of the north-south divide". The Guardian.
1 2 3 4 McCree, Cree (5 May 2025). "Knats: From Newcastle with Lotsa Love". Downbeat.
↑ Lake, Evie (30 July 2026). "Newcastle jazz collective Knats nominated for 2026 Mercury Prize". BBC News. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
↑ Roseblade, Nick (1 May 2026). "Knats - A Great Day in Newcastle". Clash Magazine.
↑ Savage, Mark (30 July 2026). "Olivia Dean nominated and Lily Allen snubbed in Mercury Prize list". BBC News.
↑ Forde, Archie (1 May 2026). "Knats: A Great Day in Newcastle Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
1 2 3 4 Mylrea, Hannah (18 October 2026). "Knats - A Great Day in Newcastle". DIY. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
↑ "Nadine Shah and Royal Northern Sinfonia (Gateshead)". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
↑ Scotney, Sebastian (13 October 2026). "All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2026 – Winners Announced - UK Jazz News". UK Jazz News. Retrieved 19 October 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
↑ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (30 July 2026). "Paul McCartney becomes first-time nominee for Mercury prize, up against Olivia Dean, Dave and more". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2026.

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[aaj_rev-1] 1 2 Duggan, Neil (18 March 2026). "Knats: A Great Day in Newcastle". All About Jazz. Retrieved 30 July 2026.

[guardian_int-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pometsey, Olive (28 April 2026). ""Geordie optimism is this rigorous spirit of hard graft": Newcastle jazz band Knats break out of the north-south divide". The Guardian.

[downbeat_int-3] 1 2 3 4 McCree, Cree (5 May 2025). "Knats: From Newcastle with Lotsa Love". Downbeat.

[4] Lake, Evie (30 July 2026). "Newcastle jazz collective Knats nominated for 2026 Mercury Prize". BBC News. Retrieved 20 October 2026.

[5] Roseblade, Nick (1 May 2026). "Knats - A Great Day in Newcastle". Clash Magazine.

[6] Savage, Mark (30 July 2026). "Olivia Dean nominated and Lily Allen snubbed in Mercury Prize list". BBC News.

[7] Forde, Archie (1 May 2026). "Knats: A Great Day in Newcastle Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 July 2026.

[diy_int-8] 1 2 3 4 Mylrea, Hannah (18 October 2026). "Knats - A Great Day in Newcastle". DIY. Retrieved 20 October 2026.

[9] "Nadine Shah and Royal Northern Sinfonia (Gateshead)". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 20 October 2026.

[10] Scotney, Sebastian (13 October 2026). "All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2026 – Winners Announced - UK Jazz News". UK Jazz News. Retrieved 19 October 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[11] Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (30 July 2026). "Paul McCartney becomes first-time nominee for Mercury prize, up against Olivia Dean, Dave and more". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2026.