KNATS IS MAKING ITS WAY BACK TO ITS ROOTS

Jazz’s unexpected rhythm, harmonies, and improvisation culture make it a hotbed for an if-you-know-you-know mentality; an exclusive club that you can only gain entry to if you understand it, and most will tell you that you don’t. The Knats boys don’t exist in that world. Not because they aren’t making jazz, not because their sound isn’t complex, but because they don’t want to. For Knats, music is a way to express their story, proudly flying the flag for their hometown of Newcastle.

Two albums in, and already with a Mercury Prize nomination and a BBC Proms appearance under their belts, Knats has good reason to trust in its Geordie Jazz sound. Borrowing elements from rock, house, reggae, drum & bass, and hip-hop, their signature sound is a collage of influences, all tracing back to their roots. 

We share a hometown with Knats, and with that comes a mindset built on strong identity. All of that comes to light in the campaign for END. LABEL, our first-ever full in-house collection. As we shot the band around Newcastle, we talked jazz greats, resilience, and the confidence to build personal style.

Do you think your personal styles reflect the way you approach/play music?

King: I guess in an unconscious way, all things we do as musicians and artists tie into our musical identity and approach but I don't think it does for me.

Nurturing an interest in jazz in Newcastle in the 2010s can’t have been straightforward. What kept you going when the community/space wasn’t there?

King: Luckily, Stan and I had each other to share music, play together, and grow the band. Also, coming from single-parent households, resilience is an ingrained quality we learned and applied when wanting to achieve our own goals.

A Great Day in Newcastle nods to an iconic era of jazz in Harlem in 1957; Esquire actually called it “The Golden Era of Jazz”. How much do you look to these icons of the genre when it comes to figuring out who you are as a band?

King: We definitely revere the greats of the genre like Coltrane, Parker, Miles, Herbie, and so on. But with the current direction of the band, we've been making our way back to our roots of rock music and listening to a lot of the bands we grew up on. 

Who has had the most influence on your wardrobe?

Stan: I’m really into the Americana vibe. Tight T-shirts, baggy jeans, and loafers are my go-to styles right now.

King: The weather. I overheat quite quickly which inadvertently makes me wear light clothing. Almost like summer wear all year round. You can’t go wrong with thin shirts, baggy jeans, and a nice pair of boots.

What’s the key to building a truly personal style, whether it’s what you wear or how you play?

King: I think confidence is the main key to building your own style. There are people who wear the most unconventional clothes or play in the most unconventional way, but if they commit to it and really hone in on it, that's their own thing.

You have a very distinct sound, ‘Geordie Jazz’. What makes it Geordie?

King: Geordie Jazz is a term we coined to separate ourselves from the UK jazz scene which predominantly consists of London bands. We don't see ourselves a part of that world due to our influences, the way the band came to be—lack of northern funding & opportunity—and the difference in musical culture. Our sound also doesn't fit within the parameters set out by UK jazz.