Ben Kidson talks gilets, pre-show rituals and thinking he was “cooked”

It hasn’t even been fifteen minutes since Ben Kidson wrapped up his set at Sound Bite’s inaugural soirée with Johnnie Walker Black Label, and he’s already keen for a chat. Perched in the green room at Abbey Road Studio 2, he shows no hint of exhaustion — remarkable, considering the year he’s had. In April, ‘Back on the Apps’, his sardonic takedown of the modern dating landscape in all its hellishness, went viral both on Instagram and on TikTok. “We’ve got like six or seven million [hits] on Instagram and then about two hundred thousand on TikTok. It’s quite an overnight shift of just like… It’s crazy,” Kidson admits. For the uninitiated, Kidson’s signature sound blends savvy, self-aware pop songwriting with an alt-rock edge, pairing sharp hooks with lyrics that are wry, conversational and darkly funny. He also has a talent for lampooning London’s ‘creative elite’, along with the wine bars and small-plates establishments they so readily call home, in a number of songs in the pipeline. 

After a false start that saw him open for a music giant at Hyde Park — only to be dropped by his original label not long after — Kidson made the resolution to keep going and navigate uncharted waters on his own terms. Since then, he’s managed to course-correct: scoring a viral hit, releasing a string of new tracks, heading out on tour, and now performing at Abbey Road Studios. ‘Back on the Apps’ has even, somewhat ironically, affected his dating life. “Because it’s about being on dating apps, people just message me asking me on dates,” he laughs. “Strangers will be like, Hey, I’ve never met you, but do you want to meet me in a pub tomorrow?” Minutes after his performance, Kidson takes a moment to discuss pre-show rituals, songwriting in an aeroplane bathroom and whether it really is ever okay to don a Hawaiian shirt in the wintertime. 

How are you doing, Ben?

Good, I’m halfway through a tour and this was my second show of the night.

Do you have any pre-show rituals you like to do to get ready?

Yeah, I kind of avoid everyone for like an hour, two hours. It’s not that easy, but it’s so I can also lie on the floor. I’ve been playing the guitar so long, and my guitar’s so heavy. Can I swear?

Yeah.

Well, I’ve fucked my back. So I have to just lie down. You find a lot of the time, the band will just walk in and I’m just lying completely still on the floor, staring straight up. Just like resting, manifesting.

Would you ever buy a gilet?

I’m not a gilet man. Before you ask I probably wouldn’t buy a quarter zip either. It’s a bit finance bro for me, I’m afraid. I’ve actually got a single coming out in about two weeks that is specifically going for people who wear quarter zips. We need to do something about it.

What’s your favourite Nirvana song?

Oh, that’s a very good question. I like ‘Tourette’s’ off In Utero and there is a version of a song called ‘Negative Creep’ that they did on the live album that came out after Kurt Cobain died. That’s probably my favourite one I still listen to.

What’s the weirdest place that you’ve ever written a song?

Aeroplane bathroom. Whole thing. Five minutes. There was someone waiting outside like, What is he doing in there?

Which is more icky to you, Hyrox or paddle?

Oh, I think Hyrox because it’s like competitive exercise. I can forgive paddle because it’s a bit like tennis, but yeah I feel like with Hyrox people you meet them and they’re gonna tell you they’re into Hyrox.

What’s your ideal meal deal combo? And where would you buy it from?

Unbelievably good question. I’ve just been on tour as well, so I spend a lot of time in service station supermarkets looking at the meal deal. I think we go for the Tesco ham and cheese sandwich. So there’s a ham and cheese sandwich in every supermarket right? Co-p, not great. Sainsbury’s, eh. But there’s something about the Tesco ham and cheese sandwich. I don’t know how they keep the bread or whether there’s something in the mayonnaise that preserves the bread, but it’s always so good.

And your drink and snack? 

I’ve recently got really into sparkling water, you know, because I’ve decided I’m going to be a fancy boy. San Pellegrino probably at the moment. And then I think a McCoy’s salt and vinegar crisp, or prawn if they’ve got them.

Is it okay to ever wear a Hawaiian shirt in the wintertime?

Probably not anymore. Ten years ago, yeah, we were all wearing them. It’s a good look. It’s going to come back. When I become a father, then yes. Until then, probably not.

What’s your favourite meme of all time?

Oh God. I’m not even sure it’s repeatable, I’m in some terrible group chat. Maybe… Go on, give me some…

There’s the Wicked: For Good memes?

Yeah, they’re good. I’ve seen it a little bit. There was a really good phase of increasingly verbose memes. That was, you know, it’s quite niche. It’s just like expanding a phrase while Winnie the Pooh starts wearing a fancy tuxedo. I was quite into that.

What’s your favourite Johnnie Walker cocktail?

Probably old-fashioned with Johnnie Walker. I’ve always liked old-fashioned. I used to work in a cocktail bar for ages. So yeah, the whole bitters with sugar cubes, making the thing and then getting the ice in, Johnnie Walker on top. Well, I was also very bad at my job, I should add.

Johnnie Walker’s ethos is ‘Keep Walking’. Can you share a moment in your journey where you chose to keep moving forward, a moment that helped shape you as an artist in your career today?

Yeah, I mean, literally ten months ago,  I’d been signed and then dropped. I opened for [an artist] at Hyde Park and then just nothing happened for like ten months and I was like, I’m cooked, that’s it, everyone’s bored of me. Then I just made peace with deciding to keep going, even though I had no idea what was even on the other side. And then that song I played tonight about dating apps went viral and changed my life. We’ve got like collectively about six or seven million on Instagram and then about two hundred thousand on TikTok. It’s quite an overnight shift of just like… It’s crazy. Obviously because it’s about being on dating apps people just message me asking me on dates. Strangers will just be like, Hey, I’ve never met you but do you want to meet me in a pub, like tomorrow?