With one album ‘Dollars & Cents’ to his name, KNIGHT$ is the electrifying solo venture of James Knights.
He built his reputation with cult favourites SCARLET SOHO and also serves as one half of the current incarnation of BOYTRONIC with original front man Holger Wobker. Known as a charming but frenetic live performer who combines classic Italo, HI-NRG, synthpop and new wave like a fine flavour of gelato, KNIGHT$ has opened for DRAB MAJESTY, A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS, CHINA CRISIS and most recently Andy Bell of ERASURE, as well as headlining his own shows across Europe.
The start of 2026 sees the release of the second KNIGHT$ album ‘Supernatural Lover’; featuring the title song which was released as a single earlier in the year and ‘I Die For This Love’ (a collaboration with Bjarne Sund), there is also a cover of YAZOO’s ‘Goodbye 70s’ as well as five other new tracks, several of them venturing into previously uncharted territory for our shades donning hero.
An intimate document of struggle and survival, obsession and loss, turbulence and change, set mostly to uptempo dance rhythms, England’s very own “Disco Rampensau” chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about the making of ‘Supernatural Lover’.
How was the Andy Bell tour in Germany? How did his audience respond to you?
It was an incredible experience — so many great memories and new faces in the crowd singing along.
Did you have an idea of what you were trying to achieve with this second album? How was the writing and production process?
My first album, ‘Dollars & Cents’, was pure instinct — no expectations, and no real pressure after SCARLET SOHO ended. The second one came from a different place entirely. I’d lived more, and I knew some of that was going to surface in the writing whether I wanted it to or not. It’s a darker record, but I still wanted it to sound like KNIGHT$ — not weighed down by the themes.
While I was writing, I started revisiting albums I hadn’t played in a while — ‘Join Hands’ by SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES, ‘Secondhand Daylight’ by MAGAZINE — and then switching gears completely with THE ROCK STEADY CREW. That weird mix of moods and energy ended up shaping the album in unexpected ways. I probably overthought things at times — reworking vocals, tweaking mixes, questioning small details — but that focus helped me get closer to what I was really trying to do.
While side one is co-produced by your regular collaborator Martin Dubka, the second half features a whole side of outliers where you take some risks?
I saw side two as a chance to experiment a bit and step outside my usual setup. Working with Martin Dubka on side one gave the record its core identity, but I wanted the flip side to feel looser — a space to try new ideas and collaborate with different people. It’s more exploratory for sure, and in some ways, it hints at where things might head next.
You opted not to include songs from the previously issued ‘$auna Mu$ik’ EP or ‘Boom Bang Boom!’?
At first, I thought some of the ‘$auna Mu$ik’ and ‘Boom Bang Boom!’ tracks might make the cut, but as the album came together, I realised they didn’t quite fit the mood. That said, a few of them will appear as bonus tracks on the CD version, so fans will still get to hear them there.
On the opening song ‘Knightmares’, you adapted your vocal style slightly, how did it come about?
I hadn’t really noticed at the time, but it turns out I don’t have many songs in A minor. Singing in that key brought out a part of my voice I hadn’t explored much before, which gave the track a slightly different feel.
You channel your inner Patrick Cowley on the ‘Supernatural Lover’ title song, what was its genesis?
I always imagined the live show having a moment of pure euphoria, and this song became that. Lyrically, I’m drawn to the things we can’t fully grasp spiritually, and touching even a fraction of that feels incredibly powerful. Getting older has made me appreciate the idea that we’re part of something bigger — that there’s a connection beyond just ourselves.
You enter New York electro territory on ‘Bite The Nite’?
I’d been wanting to try a freestyle-style track for a while, and it’s definitely trickier than it seems. ‘Bite The Nite’ went through a lot of different versions before we landed on the final arrangement and vocal melody. We played it live in London recently, and it really came alive — it sounded massive!
‘Light The Fuse’ goes full Europop, were there any key influences on this?
For a while, I’d been hooked on ‘Pretty Face’ by the Italian band STYLOO, and I wanted ‘Light The Fuse’ to have that relentless, no-nonsense rhythm section that just keeps driving forward, similar to what they did. It wasn’t planned, but listening back now, I notice some held vocal notes in the chorus that oddly remind me of ELO. or even ‘Ulysses’, the 80s kids’ TV show theme — I’m not exactly sure why! Martin also filtered the synths in a way that echoes ALPHAVILLE’s ‘Forever Young’, which was his idea, and it really added to that Europop vibe.
There’s a HI-NRG cover of YAZOO’s ‘Goodbye 70s’, why did you choose to do this?
Growing up, my mum and I used to blast YAZOO in the car, so revisiting those songs is a nostalgic joyride. The idea for this HI-NRG take came from Gary Daly of CHINA CRISIS — he told me on tour in Derby that I sounded a bit like Alison Moyet, and it stuck with me. I worked with Swedish producer RetroTeque for this one-off version, and it brings a dynamic to the record.
‘I Die For This Love’ was not written by you and is a guest appearance on a solo track by Bjarne Sund of CRED, how did this come about and end up on the album?
Bjarne is a fantastic writer, and this experience reminded me that no matter how much you plan, you have to stay open to change when making an album. ‘I Die For This Love’ was released early in 2025, and the public’s response convinced me it deserved a place on the record. Once I found a natural spot for it, including it was a no-brainer.
‘DGD’ is very unusual, it’s sort of an experimental spoken word dance piece, so how did you get the idea?
Earlier this year, I got a Korg Prologue 8 and started experimenting with its arpeggiators. Tweaking a few things, I landed on a DAF-esque pulse that became the foundation for ‘DGD’. It gave me a solid sonic platform to explore something I’d been noticing lately — so-called politically left-leaning people casting judgment on others and wishing them harm, almost sounding right-wing all of a sudden. I found this deeply unnerving, and the track became my way of processing that.
Some will be surprised at the piano ballad ‘Can’t Cry Any Longer’ which closes the album?
Every batch of songs I write usually has one or two slower ideas, but I’m more drawn to tracks with pace, so I avoid crowding an album with too many slow songs. ‘Can’t Cry Any Longer’ was the perfect way to close this record — a softer moment that balances all the energy leading up to it.
The album is short and sharp, you’ve not stuffed it with 18 overlong tracks like some people have done, how do you sum up its making?
The idea was to keep it tight and meaningful — no filler, no overlong tracks. Each song has its own purpose, and together they make a record that’s concise but still rich in ideas.
What are your hopes and fears for the album?
The public will decide which songs endure, but I’m happy with what I’ve created. I see this album as a perfect bridge between the first record and what’s coming next.
What is next for you?
Next up is a tour of Germany in January with six headline shows in Berlin, Bochum, Leipzig, Erfurt, Frankfurt and Hamburg, followed by a one-off Paris date on February 12th. I’m sure there will be a London show in the spring, maybe some festivals, definitely a remixed version of the new album. Look out for my Andy Bell remix on ‘The Crown Jewels’ release on the 12th of December too!
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its special thanks to James Knights
The album ‘Supernatural Lover’ is released by Specchio Uomo on 5th February 2025 as a vinyl LP, CD and digital release, pre-order now from https://knights101.bandcamp.com/
KNIGHT$ opens for THEN JERICO at Oxford O2 Academy on 19th December 2025
European live dates at the start of 2026 include: Rüsselsheim Das Rind (23rd January – with DELTA KOMPLEX), Erfurt Stadtgarten (24th January – with DJ set from Marcus Meyn from CAMOUFLAGE), Bochum Matrix (29th January), Hamburg Maria’s Ballroom (30th January – with IN CONTACT), Berlin DarkNights Festival (31st January – with BLUTENGEL, SOLAR FAKE, EISFABRIK + many more), Paris Atomic Cat (12th February), Leverkusen Shadow (20th February), Leipzig Darkflower (21st February)
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Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Ekaterina Yakyamseva
5th December 2025
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