Everyone Says Hi Are On The Same Side At Banquet Records

by | Feb 11, 2025

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

Everyone Says Hi (Stewart Baxter)
Everyone Says Hi (Stewart Baxter)

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

Everyone Says Hi (Stewart Baxter)
Everyone Says Hi (Stewart Baxter)

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.

Bilk Bring Essex, Drugs and Rock and Roll to Electric Ballroom

Jeff Lynne Cancels Final ELO Show At BST Hyde Park 2025 Following Illness

In a heartbreaking development for fans, Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) have cancelled what was set to be their final ever UK performance at BST Hyde Park on Sunday 13 July 2025. The decision follows Lynne’s continued ill health and comes just days after the group’s second show at Manchester’s Co-op Live on 10th July was pulled moments before showtime, after the venue had already filled with fans. Lynne, 77, has been battling a systemic infection and is now under close medical supervision.

Olivia Dean @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Olivia Dean Warms A Damp Hyde Park With Soulful Resilience At BST Hyde Park 2025

Though clouds still loomed and the ground remained squelchy underfoot, Olivia Dean brought a welcome calm and undeniable warmth to BST Hyde Park’s Great Oak Stage on Sunday afternoon. Following a weather-disrupted opening set by Amber Mark — whose performance was cut short by a torrential downpour — Dean arrived as the skies cleared, bringing poise, polish, and powerful vocals to a crowd that refused to let a bit of British summer rain dampen their spirits.

Clairo @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Clairo Brings Soft Focus And Dreamy Intimacy To The Great Oak Stage At BST Hyde Park 2025

In the golden lull between a dramatic afternoon downpour and Sabrina Carpenter’s headline pop spectacle, Clairo turned London’s Great Oak Stage into a sanctuary of softness and reflection. Her early evening performance at BST Hyde Park on Sunday 6th July offered a tender contrast to the festival’s typically high-energy crescendo, inviting the crowd into a quieter, more introspective space.

Jessie Murph (Press)

Jessie Murph Announces Bold New Album ‘Sex Hysteria’, Shares Vulnerable New Single ‘Bad As The Rest’

Boundary-breaking rising star Jessie Murph has unveiled her latest single Bad As The Rest, offering a raw and emotionally charged glimpse into her upcoming sophomore album Sex Hysteria, due out on 18th July via Columbia Records.

The Jacques (Nick Sayers)

The Jacques Announce Riotous New Single ‘All The Other Sinners’ Ahead of Second Album ‘Make Repetition!’

London/Bristol alt-rock trio The Jacques are ramping up momentum ahead of their second album Make Repetition! with the release of their blistering new single All The Other Sinners — a searing, melody-drenched slice of chaos and catharsis out now.

Cam @ The Tabernacle (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Cam Captivates London With A Night Of Raw Vocals And Real Stories At The Tabernacle

In a sweltering Tabernacle, a somehow both vast and intimate venue, a sweat-soaked audience filled every seat for...
J.Fla (Press)

J.Fla Redefines Herself With Empowering New Single ‘Stellar Paradox’

South Korean singer-songwriter and YouTube sensation J.Fla has taken a giant leap into the cosmos with her newest release, Stellar Paradox, marking the start of a bold new chapter in her musical journey. Known to millions for her viral YouTube covers, J.Fla now turns the spotlight firmly onto her own voice with a genre-blending, emotionally charged original that paves the way for her highly anticipated upcoming EP, due in late summer 2025.

Chloe Qisha @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chloe Qisha Closes The Rainbow Stage In Style At BST Hyde Park 2025

After a tempestuous afternoon that saw Hyde Park lashed by torrential rain and set times thrown into flux, it was Chloe Qisha who restored the calm — and then brought the fire — as she closed the Rainbow Stage on Sunday evening with a confident, emotionally astute set that proved worth the wait.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing