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Knats Present Their Guide To Newcastle
Knats, a Newcastle jazz collective nominated for the Mercury Prize, share a personal guide to places, people and cultural touchstones in their home city. The feature highlights how Newcastle’s independent identity has shaped the group, while also noting concerns about the loss of distinctive local venues and businesses.
– The Black Swan Jazz Jam at Newcastle Arts Centre helped trumpeter Ferg Kilsby gain confidence performing from age 13. – Poet and vocalist Cooper Robson recalls Scorpio Shoes, Hustlers Pool Bar and Saporis Cafe as lost parts of Newcastle’s alternative scene. – Bassist and vocalist Stan Woodward recommends Newcastle band Lots Of Hands, particularly their record ‘In A Pretty Room’ and track ‘Perfume’. – Hoochie Coochie, now called Pilgrim, is praised as a central Newcastle venue with a strong history of live artists.
In short
- Knats celebrate Newcastle’s independent music culture.
- Members recommend formative venues, shops and local bands.
- The guide also mourns lost community spaces.
Explained simply
Knats are a jazz collective from Newcastle who have earned recognition including a Mercury Prize nomination, one of Britain's most prestigious music awards. The group is now sharing a personal guide to the venues, people and cultural references that have shaped their music in their home city, highlighting how Newcastle's independent creative identity has influenced their development.
The guide showcases spaces important to the musicians' formation, such as the Black Swan Jazz Jam at Newcastle Arts Centre where trumpeter Ferg Kilsby performed regularly from age 13. However, the feature also reflects concerns among Newcastle's creative community about the closure of distinctive independent venues and businesses that once defined the city's alternative scene, with poet and vocalist Cooper Robson referencing now-closed spaces like Scorpio Shoes, Hustlers Pool Bar and Saporis Cafe.
The guide simultaneously celebrates continuing cultural touchstones including the venue Hoochie Coochie (now Pilgrim) and local bands such as Lots Of Hands. By documenting their own influences and connections, Knats are drawing attention to how cities maintain cultural distinctiveness as independent establishments disappear.
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