Led by two lifelong best friends from Newcastle, Stan Woodward (bass) and King David-Ike Elechi (drums), Knats have forged a sound as much at home, in venues and clubs, as it is at The Proms, and have spent the last year building a significant word-of mouth buzz touring the country and playing as the live band for both Geordie Greep (black midi) and low-key RnB legend Eddie Chacon on their respective EU/UK dates. Today, the Newcastle jazz trailblazers have shared details of their highly anticipated sophomore record, A Great Day In Newcastle. The record comes with production from long-time friend and collaborator Greep, who also features on one of the tracks. This new record sees the band pull together the same sophisticated musical arrangements that have seen them win over crowds and critics across the country – the strong melodies and genre-fluid, danceable grooves -, but also harks back to their roots in rock and experimentation, with much of the compositional work here is based around Olivier Messiaen’s modes, creating a suspended, uncanny, and colourful sound. Despite this, it never once feels inaccessible.
“Wor Jackie”, the first single to be taken from the new record which you can listen to below this article, dives into the experience of the North East pitman, using the famous Geordie football player, Jackie Milburn or ‘Wor Jackie’, as an archetypal figure for the story to unfold, given that Milburn would apparently would do half days in the coal mine and half days on the football pitch for Newcastle in his heyday. The narrative is navigated via impassioned poetry from Cooper Robson and blistering solos from Stan and George Johnson (Tenor Saxophone). The track marks of a change in sound for Knats, showcasing a heavier aesthetic combined with elements of storytelling, through the new addition to the group, Cooper Robson. The track was also Stan’s first experiment in using Messiaen modes as a vehicle for composition.
Speaking on the track, Stan says “‘Wor Jackie’ was written at a time when I was reading into the North East coal mining industry, after a conversation with me grandad talking about his time as a pitman. The community aspect amongst the pitman astounded me, given the dangerous nature of the job. The piece, I initially intended to be a moody sort of march, which then evolved with the addition of Cooper Robsons gorgeous poems. The title ‘Wor Jackie’ refers to Newcastle football player Jackie Milburn, who was believed to have done half days in the pit and half on the football pitch, and who I thought would be the perfect character to represent this story.”
The record offers a compelling approach to chronicling the milieu of everyday life in Newcastle, in a similar vein to some of their contemporaries in, say, London. However, as the next generation of UK jazz artists start to break through, there is something quintessentially vital about this album coming from this region. Speaking on the record, Stan continues, “This album has been a few years of thought and writing in the making. In terms of how could we make a record as a love letter to our hometown, whilst still talking about some of problems working class people in the North East face, without seeming too self-pitiful. When Cooper Robson got involved, everything changed. These instrumental songs I’d been writing about certain specific topics now actually had stories to accompany them, with words delivered from a person who truly loves Newcastle as much as we do. A Great Day in Newcastle is an exploration through happy, sad and angry stories from Newcastle and the beginning of a new sound for Knats.”
A Great Day in Newcastle will be released on March 6th via Gearbox Records. Pre-orders are now available here.
Photo credit: Ellie Slorick
