For KNIGHT$, his first London gig in nearly 3 years was a sort of homecoming.
The Britalo vehicle of James Knights, although now based near the South Coast of England, the capital was where he had spent his formative musical years in the more indie pop SCARLET SOHO.
Taking on a more optimistic and direct electro approach, KNIGHT$ began in 2016 and steadily gained a cult following in Sweden and Germany.
The worldwide pandemic affected all artists but for KNIGHT$ whose favourable reputation was gained from engaging live performances, this was especially difficult. He went down the home live stream route with varying degrees of success although it was not the same.
Come 2022 and things kicked back into action with a European tour supporting TRANS-X while a prestigious opening slot at Infest got things going again back home. KNIGHT$ appearance at The Hope & Anchor was his first London appearance since Halloween 2019; the venue is best known for hosting JOY DIVISION in December 1978, although only three people turned up! Despite a national train strike, KNIGHT$ had a very good turn out from those looking to forget the high energy crisis for a few hours.
Opening the evening just as he had done on Halloween 2019 was Theo Sayers. Little did he know at the time that his then-forthcoming single ‘My Nose Is A Little Runny’ would have such poignant resonance with lyrical quips like “sleazes cause diseases”.
The resulting video ended up being a scene or two short, something which the Cambridge lad dwelled on after his performance of the quirky but appealing SLEAFORD MODS-styled track.
Accompanied by KNIGHT$ family member Jasmine Jasmine on vocals, Sayers presented his playful humourous songs in a matter-of-fact manner like a blokey Kate Nash. New numbers such as ‘Ramen For Two’ and his streetwise cover of Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry’ outlined his brand of scampy English hip-hop; he releases his first full-length album also called ‘Ramen For Two’ in 2023.
Opening with ‘What We Leave Behind’, James Knights got quickly into his stride aided by a bottle of Benylin®. With some distance since the release of his debut album ‘Dollars & Cents’ in Spring 2019, what stood out tonight was how well his songs have lasted the distance, something that is not always the case with much of today’s independent British synthpop.
Produced by Italo disco legends Fred Ventura and Paolo Gozzetti in their ITALOCONNECTION guise as well as remixed by the notable Italo DJ Flemming Dalum, the wonderful ‘Gelato’ was given a sensual live boost by regular keys player Nina Casey on backing vocals. Her presence also allowed for the first live performance of the BOYTRONIC duet ‘Proving A Point’ with the diminutive German providing her own stamp on the feisty Holger Wobker part.
James Knights has been very open about the influence of BRONSKI BEAT on his sound and ‘Hijack My Heart’ was a fine example of him aping the Jimmy Somerville-led version of the band. But he paid tribute directly to the Mark 2 version of BRONSKI BEAT fronted by John Jøn Foster with a cover of the frantic ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’, aided by Julz J of CAPITAL X on guest saxophone.
‘What’s Your Poison?’ was a reminder of how it all started for KNIGHT$ while another ITALOCONNECTION produced track, the ‘Dollars & Cents’ title song doffed its shades to the disco-menergy of the late Patrick Cowley.
But it was time to celebrate the most recent KNIGHT$ single ‘Boom Bang Boom’ and while ‘Two Steps from Heartache’ was a look back to his SCARLET SOHO days, ‘Alligator’ prompted “Snap! Snap!” actions from the audience as it amusingly satirised the perils of modern dating.
A fine return to the London stage that entertained all present including an unsuspecting Arsenal fan who was curious as to the goings-on in the clearly marked “HOME FANS ONLY” venue, James Knights said afterwards: “Well, what can I say. The energy in the room was electric. So good to connect with the audience again and play some of the rarer songs we’ve not played live before. You couldn’t hand pick a better fanbase than the KNIGHT$ one! I’m currently working on a new EP / vinyl release for 2023, and I’m sure there will be more live shows to mark that. We also have the 40th anniversary gigs of BOYTRONIC’s ‘Working Model’ album to look forward to as well… It’s good to be back.”
KNIGHT$ is proof that pop is not a four letter word…
KNIGHT$ ‘Boom Bang Boom’ is released by Specchio Uomo in various formats, available from https://knights101.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Knights101/
https://twitter.com/JPSKNIGHTS
https://www.instagram.com/knights101/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/07xFYhAkgObJY8VBkIy1O4
‘My Nose Is A Little Runny’ by Theo Sayers is available as a digital single direct from https://theosayers.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theosayersmusic/
https://twitter.com/theosayers
https://www.instagram.com/theosayers/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0iaqiCh8ozGLtdBjR7BdZJ
Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Richard Price
4th October 2022
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