Knats react to “absolutely mental” Mercury Prize nominationNewcastle’s very own Knats have shared their joy at being nominated for this year’s Mercury Prize. They powerfully said on behalf of underrepresented areas of the North East music scene, “The success is not just for us it’s for the area. The North East hasn’t had this much hype towards it especially in this genre of music, it’s always been rock music. Knats will be looking to keep the Mercury Prize in the North East after Sam Fender won the award last year for his third album, People Watching. Mercury Prize 2026: The complete list of nominated albums: