Knats – A Great Day in Newcastle Review

A difference of circumstance is what Knats has presented on A Great Day in Newcastle. Not just in the studio, either. Their debut, self-titled album is a masterstroke of modern jazz form, and this Geordie Greep-produced second release is much the same, with lessons learned along the way. For the listener, namely award-winners who find themselves scalding themselves on a Moka pot while fielding phone calls from friends about Jools Holland, the experience is vastly different, too. Being bunged up with flu and spinning Knats is a way to weather the storm, but taking to the nearby park, touching grass, and experiencing A Great Day in Newcastle, now that is a charming time. Being from the beautiful North East helps massively with the context of Knats, but it isn’t necessary for their second album. A Great Day in Newcastle is the best thing to come out of Newcastle since those Geordie Banger sausages they serve up in Grainger Market.  

There is a colloquial comfort to A Great Day in Newcastle, and it’s crucial that it feels earned. It does. Knats does well to lean into their roots, their pride for their hometown and, of all places, Bigg Market. Messy nights and mournful mornings spring to mind when listening to Bigg Market Scrappa, but nostalgia is not the group’s game. Far from it. If anything, A Great Day in Newcastle is a phenomenal indicator of community, even when it is spread to the far reaches, be it London or Laos. This is not just a chance to communicate community but to put Newcastle back on the map, post-Sam Fender craze. He got eyes on the area, now reap what the talented many are sewing. Instrumentally vivid, a tight production, and evocative writing is what A Great Day in Newcastle has. For those who find themselves ditching the comforts of the North East for the ambitious hopes of London, it’ll be a chance to bawl your eyes out with beautiful music.  

Anecdotally speaking, this is the same emotional beauty as The Hymn of the North, a Pulp song from their latest album, More. 7 Bridges to Burn will, for those from the area, feel like a hits list of home comforts. For those not well-versed with Newcastle and all its little, surrounding towns, it’ll set the scene before a build of beautiful instrumentals. Stan Woodward and King David Ike-Elechi are brilliant guides through this beautiful city and soundscape, while producer Greep pulls from the vast knowledge he has of instrumental jazz, both classical and modern. Let the instruments breathe without blasts of noise or changing in midstream. Improvisation is key here, letting the ideas flow into a natural conclusion. It’s a risk, but it pays off brilliantly. You can hear it on Wor Jackie, staggering lyrical work which paints a brutal picture, but it’s the saxophone and percussion that bring out the stronger emotions. Softer moments like Messy-In are nothing short of delightful. It’s that expanse given to the instrumentals that matters most of all, and it works a charm here.  

What Knats has reconnected with here is the feeling found in instrumental work. Azure Blues is a staggering piece of work, one of the finest modern jazz offerings you’ll ever hear. Elongated by Bigg Market Scrappa, and it’s hard not to fall in love with the instrumental purpose A Great Day in Newcastle offers. It’s a slice of life in what, to the ear of someone not from the area, may sound ugly. You can hear the touch Greep has in the studio on Carpet Doctor, a menacing, Windmill scene-like instrumental implosion that keeps itself steady by staying true to the jazz fundamentals found within. Music that moves you, as well as A Great Day in Newcastle does must be held to as tightly as possible. A raw and real experience with some exceptional segue work. Knats wear their roots with pride, and rightly so. A staggering experience from the first note to the last.