Embedded Files
Everything Everything with Chris Hawkins
The Bowdon Rooms, Altrincham
2nd November 2024
In an intimate setting, Everything Everything’s frontman Jonathan Higgs and guitarist/producer Alex Robertshaw join BBC 6Music presenter Chris Hawkins for an engaging conversation, reflecting on their profound journey while treating the audience to a selection of acoustic tracks from each of their albums.
Reviewed by Clare de Lune
In the hushed glow of the softly lit Bowden Rooms, an enchanted audience gather for a rare, unguarded evening with Jon Higgs and Alex Robertshaw of Everything Everything, hosted by the warm, deftly curious Chris Hawkins. Beneath arches draped in fairy lights and bathed in delicate pastels of amethyst, the tone is set for a night that promises something special. Three chairs sit on stage and a reverent hush falls over a packed room.
The evening is about to unfold with an intimate glimpse into a band celebrated as much for its surreal and oddly brilliant lyrics as its innovative sound. Chris appears onstage, proceeding to highlight Everything Everything’s impressive accomplishments, including their numerous Ivor Novello and Mercury Prize nominations, and five consecutive Top 10 albums, and then invites Jon and Alex to join him.
Chris launches into the chat with questions about growing up, propelling Jon and Alex to reflect on the experiences that have shaped their creative paths. Jon reminisces about spinning endless vinyl from his parents’ collection, particularly Simon & Garfunkel and The Beatles. He fondly recalls the posters adorning his bedroom wall, including one of Destiny’s Child, a detail that elicits both his own amusement and a ripple of delight throughout the audience. Alex reflects on the instruments he learned as a kid before discovering the guitar as a teenager, a revelation that felt remarkably effortless. These small, revealing moments form the foundation of their musical journey.
Acoustic interludes flow between the chat, showcasing Jon’s achingly agile vocals, and Alex’s exquisite craftsmanship on guitar. The first song is the explosive, off-kilter Photoshop Handsome, a track from their debut album, Man Alive, frantically shifting voices between a fuller, grounded resonance and airy falsetto. Its dynamic tension feels like riding an unstoppable paternoster lift, opposing forces in balance, with a fizzy sense of velocity. Jon speaks with affection about its quirky absurdity, recounting how it garnered them considerable attention thanks to Zane Lowe’s enthusiasm and relentless promotion.
Chris’s questioning touches upon the intricate nature of Jon’s lyrics, famously fantastical and cryptic in places. Does he want his listeners to fully understand his lyrics? “No, not really”, Jon charmingly admits. His words possess an emotional depth, and he cleverly employs a layering of surreal imagery and absurd scenarios. “My teeth dazzle like an igloo wall”, is a firm favourite, but better still, “I put a rainforest in an Oxo cube”.
The conversation unfolds into anecdotes from the band’s early days. Jon illuminates the story of the band’s first lineup crisis when he chose to invite a prospective new guitarist for a burrito rather than a formal band try-out, drawing a laugh from everyone. The onstage wit and warmth make the exchange feel less like an interview and more like a casual chat in a mate’s living room. The next song is a subdued, stripped-back rendition of Radiant from the second album 'Arc', and there’s a sense of introspection and rawness in Jon’s voice. It’s got a sublime blend of apathy and vulnerability, Alex’s guitar providing the constant backbone rhythm.
“Alex, how was that burrito?” Chris quips, playfully referencing their earlier conversation while revealing that Alex joined the band after his previous group split, and then learnt all the songs in just two weeks. Alex reflects on his introduction to Everything Everything, noting that the other members were “a lot more normal than Jon” – a jovial remark that subtly resurfaces throughout the conversation tonight. “Yeah, Jon’s quite a weird dude,” he adds. Chris has the remarkable art of steering the conversation so that we don’t become too wrapped in all the finer details of each answer, which would be nice if we had all night. Chris probes as to whether their sound is odd or distinctive. “Well, it’s both, isn’t it?” Alex grins, opening a meaty discussion about their songwriting style. There’s some mystery over whether their first gig was at Camden Barfly or Manchester’s Big Hands, and Jon reveals he was secretly seething when PJ Harvey beat them for the Mercury Prize – an admission that’s hard to imagine given his laid-back approach and tendency not to take things too seriously. Later, he crowns himself the “vibe man,” as opposed to Alex who is the “tools man”.
The darkly anthemic No Reptiles from 'Get To Heaven' softly pounds in. Its unsettling beauty is carried by Jon’s haunting vocals that shift between refined, fast-pipped falsetto and a weighty, commanding tone, with the line “I’m going to kill a stranger”. Even in its acoustic form, the song builds to a powerful crescendo – more delicate, the drum machine holding its pulse, yet retaining the same cathartic intensity. The absence of a song from 'Fever Dream' is scarcely noted, and instead, they play the evocative Violent Sun from 'Re-Animator', bringing the first half of the evening to a close. The song’s understated and potent intensity feels like a series of relentless, crashing waves that keep coming at you, as Jon’s tone carries a sense of urgency and emotional turbulence.
Following a brief intermission, Chris Hawkins returns to the stage, praising the brilliance of Everything Everything once more, and reintroducing Jon and Alex to the applause of excitable fans. Chris shares a candid memory of how, years ago, he felt too intimidated to interview Jon, daunted by his presence. Jon dismisses this notion with a self-deprecating chortle, assuring the audience that he is anything but intimidating. Alex looks on with a hint of uncertainty, a smirk unfolding.
This open exchange sets the atmosphere for Chris’s next instalment of questions, inviting the bandmates to reflect on each other’s creative traits. Jon is quick to praise Alex’s qualities – how he’s always got something new to bring to the table, never playing the same thing twice, and exhibiting an intellectual, almost mathematical precision to their sound, with his synth work. This is underscored by Alex’s wry admission that he rarely listens to other artists, instead focusing on his own creative process. “I just listen to the same small selection of albums,” he confesses, with Aphex Twin ranking high on his enduring favourites. “I’m not really bothered about other music. I’m more interested in creating my own music.” It’s clear he has an eccentric, process-driven dedication to his craft. Chris takes the opportunity to ask Jon why he sings the way he does. “I was trying to sound like Radiohead but just fell into a pattern of doing falsetto, and it stuck” he chimes, “which is probably why I sound a bit weird.” Jon then launches into a nuanced analysis of The Beatles, dissecting each member’s contributions and the interplay of their songwriting styles.
Returning to the topic of Everything Everything’s own legacy, Chris notes the diverse fanbase they have attracted. Jon loves the fact that fans often come on board at different points in their discography, giving each album its own set of loyal followers. “There are album number three fans, and then there’s the album number six fans”, and he explains how fans debate about which is the best. Sensing a moment, Chris asks the audience if they can relate, and a wave of agreement sweeps across the room. Their fanbase – so clearly present tonight – isn’t just an audience; it’s a community that the band has nurtured over the years.
Next up is a gorgeous version of Jennifer from 'Raw Data Feel', a track that sees Jon’s magnificent vocals ascend, as though spiralling up a staircase and spilling out onto a terrace in the sky. The song’s dreamy rawness gleams through the simplicity of the arrangement, offering space to breathe and creating a feeling of vulnerability. From the same sixth album, they fire out a timeless, understated version of Born Under a Meteor, gracefully spotlighting Jon’s exceptional ethereal highs and emotional clarity. Chris enquires about the process behind their latest release, 'Mountainhead', the band’s seventh studio album. Alex confesses that it was “a lot of hard work”, largely due to the album’s tight deadline and the need to balance his creative work with family life. But to sum it up, they both concur that it is a remarkable piece of artistry.
For the final song, Cold Reactor, Jon shares that its structure began with the repetitive, swelling bursts that bubble up on the album version. The acoustic rendition retains its colour-drenched radiance, ascending verse and tumbling chorus. Alex maintains a steady, hypnotic rhythm, while Jon’s masterful vocals traverse from an earthy depth to his signature high-pitched falsetto, exploding in a shimmer against the darkly poetic lyrics.
This glorious evening highlights Everything Everything’s rare ability to intertwine the cerebral with the deeply personal. Chris Hawkins has a knack for drawing out intimate glimpses into Jon and Alex’s creative process, revealing the unparalleled chemistry that fuels their collaboration. The atmosphere feels like a rare gift to their fans, a sentiment echoed in the thunderous applause that fills the room as the artists bid goodnight.
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