Knats - Knats (2026 Gearbox Geordie Edition, Black & White Vinyl w/ OBI, LP)

Knats - Knats | Vinyl LP - 2026 Gearbox Records limited Geordie Edition (GB4003YI, black & white vinyl with obi)

• The self-titled debut by Knats, the Newcastle "Geordie jazz" quintet led by Stan Woodward and King David-Ike Elechi, produced by Gearbox boss Darrel Sheinman.
• Danceable, melodic contemporary jazz-fusion, tracks steeped in North East culture (the makina-nodding "Makina Thema", "Tortuga (For Me Mam)") plus a take on Joe Henderson's "Black Narcissus".
• This limited Geordie Edition, black & white vinyl with a matching black & white obi and a Gearbox Collection token, on the London audiophile label Gearbox.

Knats are a young quintet from Newcastle upon Tyne, started in 2020 by two lifelong friends, the bassist Stan Woodward and the drummer King David-Ike Elechi, before growing into a full band with the trumpeter Ferg Kilsby, the saxophonist Cam Rossi and the keyboard player Sandro Shar. They call what they do "Geordie jazz": fusion with sophisticated arrangements, strong tunes and grooves you can move to, rooted in the culture of the North East. This is their self-titled debut, produced by Gearbox's Darrel Sheinman. The Newcastle in it is not just branding. "Makina Thema" nods to makina, the hard, fast rave music that is close to a regional religion up there, "Tortuga (For Me Mam)" wears its Geordie affection openly, and the band folds a smoky reading of Joe Henderson's "Black Narcissus" in among guest spots from the accordionist Anatole Muster and others. It is punchy, tuneful and full of personality.

On the strength of records like this and their ferocious live shows, Knats have become one of the most talked-about new bands in British jazz, following the debut with the more expansive A Great Day in Newcastle in 2026. This is the limited Geordie Edition of that first album, pressed on black-and-white vinyl with a matching black-and-white obi strip and a Gearbox Collection token, released on Gearbox Records.