Four days after releasing their debut album, Everyone Says Hi dropped into the Kingston record shop to perform a short acoustic set.
Banquet Records has become one of the most important purveyors of live music and record culture. An independent record store in Greater London, opened in its current guise in 2005 and whilst the core business is selling records, where they’ve really excelled is their concert and clubs promotions. In 2024, Banquet hosted 292 shows in Kingston, ranging from intimate in-store gigs, to international touring bands playing the local nightclub, Pryzm.
Everyone Says Hi
Fronted by ex-Kaiser Chiefs’ songwriter/drummer, Nick Hodgson, Everyone Says Hi released their debut single, Brain Freeze, in April 2024. What started as a solo album, the follow up to Nick’s debut solo record Tell Your Friends (2018) developed into a partnership with other musicians and led to the creation of the band. Having met and recruited ex-Kooks bassist Pete Denton at a local gym where old indie musicians seemingly all worked out, he then added Glenn Moule (The Howling Bells) on drums and keyboard player Ben Gordon (The Dead 60s). Tom Dawson, a Leeds based guitarist completed the lineup.
Their debut eponymous album was released on 30th January and the band embarked on a short tour, in part for Independent Venue Week followed by a number of record shop in-stores. I joined a 30-40 strong queue of people out on a cold February evening, most of which had purchased a Vinyl and CD. I had picked my copy up just 48 hours before when I saw them at Sound Knowledge, another excellent independent record store in Marlborough, Wiltshire.
Nick, Pete and Tom, set up behind the counter whilst we shuffled into position in the store. Opening with the love song Lucky Star, Hodgson delivers the lyrics tenderly. The simple but effective “I don’t need a lucky star, I just need your loving arms around me,” followed by I Wish I Was In New York City, wistful biographical tale, questioning his life choices. ‘I never read my fortune cookie, it happened anyway’ is a line that sums up the light hearted yet profound nature of Hodgson’s songwriting.
“Sing along if you know the words, it helps. Although you might need a few drinks.” A singular ‘ctsch’ of a can of Camden Pale Ale is followed by a smattering of giggles. You really can hear every little thing in this cosy space. Tom is able to flex his muscles on short acoustic solos on New York and Somebody Somewhere, the latter is a positive major-key sound yet the lyrics contrast this. The chorus of ‘Somebody somewhere just read your message and it made them feel worse’ shows that they’re not taking themselves too seriously. Despite being in a band with the charismatic Ricky Wilson, Nick has no problem sliding in to the role of frontman and singer.
Named after a David Bowie song off of 2002’s Heathen, Everyone Says Hi the vibe of the record is influenced by what Nick describes as analogue hour – listening to a record in full with no distractions and taking it all in, old school style. You can hear the space of the instruments and there is a familiarity, harkening back to classic albums through the years. This mature approach is no doubt in part of the collective decades experience the band have.
The three of them are able to create such a crisp sound. They’ve obviously got a great chemistry together and played a lot together in the lead up to this album rollout because every note was played perfectly. Nick has taken responsibility from being at the back of the stage for many years, to now being front and centre and he’s thriving. His vocals are sharp, delicate at times. Tom and especially Pete are able to harmonise with the singer, giving On The Same Side a beautiful fragility.
Everyone Says Hi
On the record, drummer Glenn Moule shifts gears multiple times with his rhythm work. On tracks like Only One he powers it forward with his pulsating rhythms yet in the store, without percussion, it’s down to the interaction of guitarists and bass to give the song impetus, which they do with aplomb. Nick says it’s hard to concentrate whilst surveying the many posters on the walls of bands that have played in the Kingston store, singling out the American ska punk rockers Less Than Jake.
Ending with the anethmic Brain Freeze, members of the diverse crowd already know the words, to almost every song. The band complete their succinct 30 minute set showcasing their quality of their songwriting as well as their togetherness as a band.
This is a debut album but it is no ones first album. It’s their first live shows as a band, but it’s no one individual’s first gig. No one stands out, but collectively, they bring the best out of each other. Everyone Says Hi is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s interesting to hear the sounds of seasoned musicians, some that have been in the limelight for 20 years reinvent themselves with a clean, considered approach which his highly listenable. They’re not trying to break the door down of the industry, they’re opening theirs for you and inviting you; and you better take your shoes off when you enter.
Live review of Everyone Says Hi @ Banquet Records, Kingston by Chris Lambert on 4th February 2025.
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