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As the drummer of Kaiser Chiefs, a songwriter extraordinaire and a solo artist, Nick Hodgson has pretty much done it all, but for his latest project he’s going back to his roots and starting a brand new band, EVERYONE SAYS HI. Read and listen with our latest Hype playlist cover feature.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
Drummer? Songwriter? Frontman? Nick Hodgson defies easy categorisation. In Kaiser Chiefs, he was the driving force behind some of the biggest indie anthems of the 00s, cutting a chaotic swathe through a scene that was remembering that, actually, not every cool band has to come from New York City. It might have been nearly twenty years ago now, but in some ways, between t’Chiefs and Arctic Monkeys, it was the last point that popular culture truly bowed to the sound of the northern indies.
But we’re not here to talk about the past. Nick has long been more than just the singing stickman. He’s been a songwriter extraordinaire, working with everyone from Dua Lipa to George Ezra to Alfie Templeman. He’s even got Shirley Bassey and Duran Duran on the CV. In 2018, he released his first solo album – a somewhat under-appreciated gem that features one of the best songs he’s ever penned (‘Suitable’, in case you’re wondering). Basically, he’s done a lot.
And now he’s got a new band.
This time around, Nick is taking on a new guise – the bone-fide frontman. Now, he’s front and centre stage with a guitar, introducing a fresh but familiar sound. Everyone Says Hi emerge with a blend of experienced musicians and a clear vision, promising a sound that reverberates with echoes of the past while forging into new musical territories.
Nick is clearly energised by his new bandmates, each bringing a rich history. “It’s me singing and playing rhythm guitar. Pete on bass; I’ve known him since we were in rival bands in the early 00s, and then he joined The Kooks for 12 years. Glenn from Howling Bells on drums, Ben from The Dead 60s on piano and Tom, our friend from Leeds, on guitar.” Hodgson embraces the spotlight with a blend of humility and humour, insisting that the golden rule is to “always listen to the drummer.”
It wasn’t that starting a new band was always the intention. At first, it started off as a new solo album. “Unlike the first one, I started collaborating straight away,” Nick explains. “The first solo album was a real determined effort to do everything myself; I’m not even sure why. When I went on tour with that album, I’d play new ideas with the band in soundcheck, and they sounded great straight away, so I always thought if I do it again, it’ll be a band.”
Collaboration does tend to bring the best out of us, and it’s something that proved right as Everyone Says Hi started to crystallise. “I tend to write a couple of verses and a chorus, make a really bad demo, and then hope that the others will join in and bring something extra,” Nick offers, “the things that I’d never think of.”
The band’s debut single ‘Brain Freeze’ is a testament to this ethos. Written in Hodgson’s old flat in Leeds (“Maybe it’s just quiet, and there’s nothing else to do, or maybe it’s magic”), it’s a song about “division in the world, society and everyday life and then trying to get away from it all by escaping to Ibiza.”
“I always thought if I do it again, it’ll be a band”
Nick Hodgson
Everyone Says Hi is about recapturing the live, raw, and real essence of music that resonates with Hodgson. Recording ‘Brain Freeze’ at Snap Studios in London, the band aimed to capture the organic sound of live performance, drawing inspiration from artists like REM, Elliott Smith, and The Strokes. “I wanted to make an album that I’d listen to at night on the record player, and there’s some tough competition in my record collection,” Hodgson remarks, emphasising his preference for authenticity over production.
It was also written with songwriter-to-the-stars Justin Parker. But what happens when the guy who wrote ‘I Predict A Riot’ disagrees with the man who helped write Lana Del Rey’s ‘Video Games’? “Music is the winner,” Nick exclaims. “I do trust Justin musically, so I’m quite easily won over when writing with him.” It wasn’t always that way, though. “In the past, I was pretty dictatorial,” Nick admits. “I have tonnes of Kaiser rehearsals recorded, and I’m shocked at how menacing I was when I listen back.”
Parker isn’t the only star turn who lent a hand to Everyone Says Hi’s first track, either. In terms of 00s indie icons, The Zuton’s Abi Harding is right up there. Having her lend her sax to the track is something Nick seems especially happy with. “I’m so glad we asked her,” he gushes, understandably. “It really adds a lot. Ben, our piano player, has known her for a long time, they’re both from bands in Liverpool. He just gave her a ring and asked her. When we got the recording back from her and Sean Payne [also from The Zutons], we were just blown away. Abi had played the part we asked her for but also done this amazing outro where she went wild.”
For experienced heads, the band’s approach to the changing music landscape is pragmatic yet passionate. They’re not grumpy stick-in-the-muds, refusing to embrace the modern way, but equally, they’re not losing touch with what really counts. Hodgson acknowledges the necessity of engaging with platforms like TikTok, yet he remains committed to the integrity of the music over the whims of algorithms.
“There are a lot of videos that need making these days when you put out music,” he admits. “I started a TikTok account when I began making the album, and I posted loads of the songwriting process as I went, and to be honest, I enjoyed it. When we were first starting with Parva and Kaiser Chiefs, we filmed everything and made videos, but there was no way of showing them to people, so I’m quite into the fact you can post them somewhere.”
“When you’re a musician, you’ve got to play live; it’s just the way it is”
Nick Hodgson
“I don’t think I’ve changed my approach to writing music, though,” he continues. “I did a few years ago when writing for other artists; I got a bit trapped in pop writing and trying to appeal to the artist in the room, but I realised during the lockdowns that that wasn’t really me. When I write for myself, it’s a totally different feeling; it’s much better!”
Reflecting on past lessons from the highs of Kaiser Chiefs, Hodgson brings a wealth of experience and a few humorous do’s and don’ts to his leadership: from the practical (“Do carry a sandwich in your bag at all times”) to the common sense (“Don’t keep your phone in your pocket onstage; no one wants to see the outline of an iPhone in the singer’s trousers, ruins the illusion”). But really, it comes down to one thing: “The experience is built in; you can’t get away from it.”
Being back in a band seems to have Hodgson fully charged. He admits that being a songwriter wasn’t exactly the same hit. “I realised that when the songs came out, I wasn’t really that bothered,” he muses, “not like when it’s your own thing. I think I’ve been repressing the performer in me. Also, when you’re a musician, you’ve got to play live; it’s just the way it is.”
But still, he’s every inch the songwriter. When it comes to what the best song he’s written, it’s an obvious answer. “It’s ‘I Predict A Riot’,” he states confidently. “Not just because of what it did for the Kaisers’ career but the way it’s written, too. It’s got a lot in it, but it’s very concise and lean; no fat on it. Good lyrics, chorus is in a different key to the verse, but you don’t really notice; good riff, gets people going. I’m very fond of it. The crowd at Leeds United have sung it a couple of times on the terraces this season, and I must admit, it’s an amazing feeling.”
As Hodgson looks ahead, he sees Everyone Says Hi not just as a return to his musical roots but as an opportunity to reconnect with the visceral joy of live performance. The band are set to play a couple of shows in London and Leeds, the former seeing Nick back at Camden Barfly – or the Assembly as it’s called now – the scene of some of Kaiser Chiefs’ earliest London shows. “I’m happy to play anywhere as long as there are some people,” he says, his enthusiasm undimmed by the years. “I loved playing in arenas cos it’s so unbelievably comfy, and everything’s done for you. My main problem is that I hate carrying gear up endless flights of stairs, but once you get onstage the small venues are the best.” ■
Everyone Says Hi’s new track ‘Brain Freeze’ is out now. Follow Dork’s Hype Spotify playlist here.
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