Kaiser Chiefs hit-maker set to emerge from shadows to take Bristol spotlight

The unsung musical hero who inspired the Kaiser Chiefs to take the British music scene by storm will take centre stage in Bristol on Monday night (Oct 21) when his new band kick off their national tour.

The Leeds musician has swapped the Kaiser Chiefs drum-kit for the more prominent role as lead singer and The Thekla will be the first of six venues to play host to his new band as they headline for the first time.

In an eagerly anticipated gig, Hodgson and his Everyone Says Hi bandmates will share tracks from their forthcoming debut, self-titled album, which will be released on January 31, 2025, via Chrysalis Records.

Hodgson unveiled Everyone Says Hi – a name lifted from a David Bowie song of the same title - earlier in the spring with debut single, Brain Freeze.

It was quickly followed by a first live performance at Brighton’s Great Escape and a pair of sell-out headline dates in Hodgson’s hometown of Leeds and London Since quitting the Kaiser Chiefs, Hodgson has long been a songwriter in high demand.

Since leaving his teenage band back in 2012, he has co-written for Dua Lipa, You Me At Six, Duran Duran, George Ezra, and Holly Humberstone, and collaborated on tracks alongside Mark Ronson, Kygo, and Shirley Bassey.

The Thelka show will give the audience a chance to find out what Liam Gallagher is missing in the shape of their newly-released single On The Same Side.

“This is the oldest song on the album,” Hodgson said. “Justin Parker (Video Games – Lana Del Rey) was asked to write something for Liam Gallagher and he asked me to collaborate.

“We wrote On The Same Side one day and we were feeling really good about it, we could picture Liam singing it in its full anthemic glory.

“He turned it down because he didn’t want songs written by a Kaiser Chief. I’m really pleased how it turned out though, definitely Liam’s loss and our gain.

“It feels weird that it's coming out a couple of weeks after Oasis announced the reunion.

“The lyrics are about feuds and making up. Justin and I were trying to write broader lyrics about reunion but we kept coming back to Liam and Noel.”