Debut album ‘A Great Day In Newcastle’ was released to rapturous acclaim, with its punk-like defiance of the norm perfectly in keeping for a North East collective. Later this year the Mercury Prize returns to Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, and Knats will play a key role in that – their debut album has been nominated. Ahead of the ceremony, CLASH invited Knats to give us their guide to Newcastle, and the spots that resonate with them. It was a safe place where we could experiment every month with new music, different lineups, and so on. We continued the residency up until moving down to London, passing the torch to North East band Swan Nek.