Chris Hayden
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interview Chris hayden “Louder than sirens, louder than bells, sweeter than heaven and hotter than hell.” Florence And The Machine’s ‘Drumming Song’ lyric describes Chris Hayden to the proverbial ‘T’… words & photos: Sayre joan Berman bout five years ago Chris Hayden was Chris had one day to learn the song. The next day asked by his friend Rob Ackroyd to come the threesome recorded ‘Kiss With a Fist’, the song into the studio to record a song with that would become the first single on Florence And Florence Welch. At that time, Ackroyd The Machine’s debut album, Lungs. “That was the and Welch, relative unknowns in the first thing that I ever did with them and it wound up world of popular music, were a duo – getting on the album. I wasn’t expecting it this way,” Florence handled the vocals, Rob played smiles Chris, commenting on his good fortune. guitar. “Before I met Rob I was working Prior to joining Florence And The Machine and a as a drum tech for Razorlight and I was brief stint touring with Razorlight, Chris was in two also playing a bit of percussion for them bands, each meeting with a modicum of success. on the side of the stage,” explains Chris. When only 16 years old, he was in a heavy metal “Razorlight’s drummer Andy Burrows was best band called Kilkus. Within two years of forming, friends with Rob.” Before too long, Chris and Rob Kilkus was signed to the label Visible Noise. formed their own strong friendship. “I would always Subsequently, Chris joined Gourami, a three-piece say to Rob, ‘Call me if you need a drummer,’ or, ‘Call rock’n’roll band. “We did some recordings, had a me when you need a drummer.’” Persistence paid single released but nothing ever really developed. off – one day Chris did get the call. Florence and That was a lot of fun though. Also a lot of drinking!” Rob were going into the studio the following day Chris first became interested in music when and they wanted Chris to record a song with them. he was about nine or 10 years old. “I watched a 48 |January 2013 www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk RHY211.int_hayden.indd 48 11/27/12 11:18 AM www.rhythmmagazine.co.uk January 2013 | 49 RHY211.int_hayden.indd 49 11/27/12 11:18 AM interview Chris hayden film called crossroads – steve Vai was in it. i decided i wanted to be a guitarist,” says chris. his Chris Hayden in action for dad bought him a guitar but after two or three years Florence and The machine of struggling to learn the instrument, he admitted to himself that the guitar wasn’t his future. Barry Johnson, chris’ uncle and the drummer with the ’60s band the rapiers, introduced chris to the drums. “my uncle had a couple of kits locked away so he gave me one. sitting behind the kit immediately felt a thousand times more natural to me than holding a guitar. i was 13 at the time.” he’s never looked back. chris was heavily influenced by an eclectic group of bands – everything from metal to grunge to hip-hop. “when i was first learning to play i started off with nirvana and Beastie Boys. rage against the machine’s first album was a big hit with me too. then i got massively into korn. i was always trying to play along with david silveria. he had a very different sound for the time. i found that to be quite inspirational. i was about 14 years old when i first heard korn so i spent the next several years trying to emulate those sounds. groove-wise though,” chris admits, “it was dave grohl and Brad wilk.” chris never had formal drum lessons. he did go to a music college, but due to the number of drummers already in his class, he devoted more time to developing his vocal abilities and learning how to read music. this served him well, given the multiple roles that he has in Florence and the machine. chris main organ sound. rather than use a church organ drum sounds. “one of the first things that Flo said to is not only the band’s drummer he is also Florence’s live, i had to make sure that we found something me,” recalls chris “is that she doesn’t like cymbals back up vocalist and the band’s md. that we can use to recreate this very particular pump and doesn’t like the snare drum. ‘i don’t like that one organ sound. i try to get it as close as possible.” in the middle,’ she told me. ‘what, the snare drum?’ i chris’ responsibilities aren’t limited to what asked. ‘i don’t like the cymbal sounds, get rid of as musical director, chris oversees everything from happens on stage, he also must ensure that the them. i do like the toms and i like the kick.’” the music itself to interpersonal relationships interaction between the crew and the band is so what does a rock drummer, brought up on the between band members and crew. the job’s functioning well and that the equipment is being stylings of david silveria, dave grohl and Brad wilk, complexities have grown exponentially along with looked after. chris is also responsible for preparing do without a snare drum and cymbals? he creates the growth of the band itself and their soaring song edits for their live television performances. some of the most imaginative and musically worldwide popularity. “if you’re a band member you Fatm have been in demand on the early morning memorable drum parts. “the heavy reliance on toms just concentrate on your own parts. as the musical and late night television show circuit. “tV stations and the bass drum gives the music a dark, rich director i need to make sure that everyone is might ask for a three-minute version of a song so i’ll quality. the harp gives it that classical element, comfortable with what’s going on, if anyone needs to make the edit. once Flo approves what i’ve done, i’ll Florence’s vocals are almost operatic but the overall run through songs. often, when we tour in the uk, make the band aware of the edit.” the band’s sound is what i’d call epic pop-rock,” he explains. we’ll use strings and a local choir, so i will look after success has made chris a very busy man. “i have Lungs, a very drum-heavy album, was largely a those arrangements and make sure that everyone more responsibilities now than i did five years ago collaboration between Florence and several has their cues. Finding sounds is an important when i was running around festival fields with no producers including James Ford, paul epworth, steve responsibility as well, making sure that the band is clothes on… but that’s another story,” he laughs. mackey and charlie hugall. unlike some negative finding the right sounds to use to replicate the album after recording ‘kiss with a Fist’ and becoming experiences that other drummers have had while during live events. For example, on ‘shake it out’ we part of the newly-formed band, chris was in for a bit working with producers in the studio, chris had no used a pump organ that was in the studio for the of a surprise. Florence had very definite ideas about issues. “it was an easy thing to do because they knew how to talk to me as a drummer – in some cases, drummer to drummer: James Ford and paul epworth are both drummers.” the other producers, steve mackey and charlie hugall, played the musical parts on the songs that they worked on. producer/ hris didn’t learn of Florence’s aversion to snare and playing the snare without the snare the snare drum and cymbals until after wires. I just opened my mind and did the opposite drummer paul epworth broke his ankle just as work work was completed on ‘Kiss With A Fist’. of what I’d been doing for the last 15 years. When started on Lungs, so chris played the drum parts. “We were rehearsing and arranging songs, I first started playing professionally I would try to “paul enjoyed experimenting with different sounds that’s when Flo made it clear that she didn’t put as much into a song as possible. It took some and different beat placements. when we worked on like blinking every time I hit the snare time to realise that what you don’t play is as drum,” Chris explains, referring to important as what you do play. With this music, ‘hurricane drunk’ and ‘rabbit heart’ we tried moving Florence’s tendency to wince every time he the patterns are quite basic, not too busy, but the kick drum beat around and developing either attacked the snare. She didn’t care for cymbals each pattern is different and that’s what makes it more, or less, of a groove. steve mackey was quite either. How did he handle the challenge of all so interesting. For example, ‘Dog Days Are pleased with the beats that i put together on the devising drum parts without using the traditional Over’ has the simplest of patterns but listen for key kit components? the placement of the kick drum. I put the kick songs that we worked on: ‘kiss with a Fist’ and “At first I’d just ignore the snare and cymbals.