Show Review: KNOWER with Sam Wilkes at The Neptune Theater, 11/11/25

I have only been familiar with the electronic jazz duo KNOWER for a couple of years. I stumbled upon the video for their May 2023 single “I’m the President” and, directly afterwards, listened to it on repeat for weeks before becoming obsessed with their entire catalog. Last year, when singer, KNOWER drummer, and multi-instrumentalist Louis Cole announced he would be playing a show at Seattle’s Neptune Theater with his band’s other vocalist & multi-instrumentalist, Genevieve Artadi, I bought two tickets without batting an eye. The chance that maybe I’d get to see them play a few KNOWER songs (which they did) was the primary purpose, despite the fact that in my quest to hear as much of them as possible, I also had spent lots of time with each member’s solo back catalogue. I’ve spent a lot of time proselytizing the scripture of KNOWER, and on Nov 11th, I finally got to attend my first sermon.

Opening the night was long-time KNOWER bass player Sam Wilkes. I’ve only been familiar with Sam as KNOWER’s bass player and was delighted by his short but spirited set of mainly instrumental songs he played with backing tracks and loops that he created on the spot. Seated at the back of the stage with bass in hand, between songs, Sam told funny stories about a multitude of topics, often interpreting himself mid-sentence. At one point he dismissed his obvious nervous excitement between tunes by joking, “I drank a Pepsi right before I came out”, but as the set wore on he opened up a little more and joking less, telling the sold out Neptune that he’s glad he gets to talk because usually when he plays with KNOWER he doesn’t get to talk, “The last time I was here was in 2016 I was opening for Lucius… I wrote in my journal that day that I wanted to play with Louis and Genevieve because I believe in them as composers.” It was an incredible moment to see a musician open up about his friends and fellow bandmates. As his set was wrapping up, you could see the shadows of the other members of KNOWER running up the backstage stairs, having watched Sam’s entire set from the wings. Leaving before he could see them see him perform as if to save him the jitters of performing in front of instead of with his friends. Camaraderie and friendship at its finest.

[Show picture list]

The lights went down, and the screen behind the band lit up with a loop of moving stars that would continue throughout the night. The song “KNOWER RULEZ” from their 2016 album LIFE played over the PA, and as it peaked, the audience chanted along “KNOWER RULEZ! KNOWER RULEZ!” As the band took the stage, they paused for a moment as they got situated, and it was full tilt, bombastic energy right out of the gate as they started their set with “The Abyss” off of 2023’s Knower Forever. Instantly, the chemistry was apparent. Sam Wilkes’ interconnectivity with Louis is incredibly tight, and all night long, they held an unbelievably well-held together complicated and intricate bottom end. At times fast-paced and blistering in intensity, at other times subdued, subtle, and delicate. Genevieve is a trained jazz vocalist who crafts melodies that at first listen seem easy enough to sing along with. As you get deeper into the songs and attempt to sing along, you find that they jump around harmonically in such a way… and the attitude she delivers them with is so intricate that you can’t help but start to understand that she makes it sound easy because she’s just that good. The way she writes her melodies and sings is less like a traditional vocalist and more like a woodwind or a reed instrument. The fact that she can perform the way she does while spinning around on stage, dancing, and kicking like a maniac is almost superhuman.

Between songs, Ms Artadi spent time making jokes and laughing with the audience, “I hope this is as fun for you as it is for me,” she giggled to the delight of the audience. This was not the duo solo project I saw last year, where you could hear a pin drop between songs. KNOWER fans are intense and dedicated, wearing their favorite band merch and bringing signs. “I see a couple of signs!” Genevieve observed, “I see a ‘KNOWER, I hardly know her?’ and a ‘The Government Knows with a drawing of something on it. What is that? A giant weiner!” before expelling a giant laugh.

While Genevieve was jovial and jokey, Louis spent his little bits of banter talking about growing up, spending summers in Seattle, and how much playing here means to him. He also took several moments introducing and reintroducing his fellow band members. Thom Gill on Electric guitar, whose prowess makes him sound like someone put Eddie Van Halen’s tapping every incredible Steely Dan guitar solo into a blender and poured the results out into an incredible, unique, and seasoned player. Keyboardist Chiquita Magic plays with grace and flawless interpretation of the music Louis and Gen have written, and when she solos, she paints her soundscapes with abstract mastery. Lastly, but certainly not least, Louis took a special moment to introduce a new to the KNOWER-verse 19-year-old keyboard phenomenon, Jonny Berroa. When Jonny solos, you know you’re seeing and hearing something special. His hands move effortlessly up and down the keyboard like his hands are meant to be there, and just when you think he’s played his most impressive run of a solo, he pushes himself further and presents you with another torrent of sonic gorgeousness. On his instragram profile he has Peter 4:10 listed, a New Testament bible passage that states “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” a beautiful message for an artist of faith to have taken to heart and thank goodness he has chosen to be a faithful steward.

While the band played through their set list, they gave the transfixed audience a journey through their body of work while mainly focusing on 2024’s release KNOWER FOREVER and a few new ones from 2025’s EP, somethingies, they represented practically every era of their career, sans their brief early pre-originals cover songs phase. Peaks and valleys, crescendos and quiet moments. One particularly gorgeous moment featured Louis looping his vocals while the rest of the band left the stage except for Genevieve, who sat alone on stage with her bandmate as he sang his gorgeously haunting parts before producing a mini synth he played along with his vocal loops until the song wove its way into a keyboard and vocal duet with Ms Artadi. Lonesome sounding and beautiful in its simplicity, “Same Smile Different Face” is reminiscent of a ballad from an 1980s animated film. On the flip side of that energy, when they played their fast-paced songs and the wave crested, everyone knew why Louis had brought attention to Jonny being the newest member of KNOWER earlier in the set. His solo in the set closing “ It’s All Nothing Until It’s Everything” brought down the house. He is an undeniable musical force.

After a short encore break, the band returned to the stage and performed the song that made me a KNOWER fan. “I’m the President” was energetic, intense, and the audience got louder than it had been all evening. I could not have been happier than in that moment.

After leaving the stage and returning for a second encore, Gen, Louis, Chiquita, and Thom performed a song without their instruments that I had never heard before. Fams online are calling it “Choir”, a song with Gregorian chant influences that each of them read off of pieces of paper as Jonny and Sam sat at the back of the stage watching their fellow band members perform immaculately harmonized vocal parts together. I have been doing my due diligence to confirm if this was a song premiere, and simply haven’t been able to. If you know if “Choir” was a song premiere, please reach out. “Choir” seamlessly segued into the final song of the evening, which also happens to be one of their most well-known songs, “Overtime”. If there were songs I wanted to hear but didn’t, this version of “Overtime” made this fan forget what he wanted to hear before the house lights went down. Can I reserve my ticket for next time now? I’m ready for a lot more. Louis and Gen, please don’t ever stop.